PSX
by Archangel7
Summary: Kind of based on Matrix Online. 2 years after the war. Several machines refuse to keep peace with humans and create new programs to ensure their demise. 11th and final chapter uploaded. Stuff revised...I am so dumb.
1. Genesis

PSX  
  
By Archangel  
  
Chapter One: Plug it In  
  
"Hey. Wake up." He didn't stir. "I said wake up." A slight groan, but he still didn't move. The officer rolled his eyes and finally kicked him under the ribs, just in the right spot to knock the wind out of him, as well as wake him up.  
"Hurk!!" The boy exclaimed with no air in his lungs.  
"Shh." The officer responded. "You mustn't wake the others."  
The boy slowly, but surely started breathing again.  
"What..." He panted quietly. "What's going on?"  
"Get up. You're leaving."  
He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"  
"Four in the morning."  
"What?!" He exclaimed in a stage whisper.  
"Come with us and say no more." With that, they left.  
The boy lay face-up in his bed for a moment, a simple mat on the floor. Everyone else around him also slept that way. He was one of them: an orphan. He could barely remember the parents he thought he'd known. They weren't real. They were probably still stuck in the Matrix somewhere.  
Oh, well. Things like that didn't bother him anymore. He'd gotten over that long ago.  
The boy sat up and yawned. Why up so early? But orders were orders. He put on the clothes he'd laid out for himself, and buckled up his boots. Then, he picked up a strange sort of necklace and put it around his neck, then walked out. The one thing he missed about his life in the Matrix was the sun. He only saw machinery now. But that was life. He rubbed his eyes and tried to fix his dirty blonde hair.  
He looked around and saw the men walking. His legs were weak from being asleep, but he ran to catch them anyway.  
"So," he said when he caught up to them, "what do I have to wake up so early for?"  
"Punctuality reasons." One man said.  
"Punctuality reason?" The boy repeated. "Am I going to be late for a date or something?"  
"Hardly." The other man responded. "The ship will be ready to leave in a few minutes and you have to be on it when it leaves."  
"Ship?"  
"That's right."  
"But...I'm not scheduled to practice today."  
"We know."  
"Then..."  
"All your questions will be answered when you arrive." The first man stopped him. "Just concentrate on getting to dock five in time."  
  
The boy raised a brow. What was the deal?  
  
It was only a minute or two before they found the dock. The ship was just getting a few things packed into it. It was rather difficult to tell any two ships apart unless you knew what to look for.  
"The Genesis." The boy said. It wasn't the most highly regarded ship in the fleet, but it was a grand vessel, nevertheless. The boy stood outside it at the base of the ramp, staring up at it. A thin man with stepped past him with a crate in his hands.  
"Well?" he asked. "You getting on or not?"  
The boy snapped out of his trance.  
"Uh, sure, yeah." He walked up the ramp and inside.  
There weren't a whole bunch of people inside, just the standard ship crew. Everyone who went by, though, looked at him, eyeing the newcomer. He just waved sheepishly.  
"You must be the new guy."  
The boy turned around. "C-Captain Riley?"  
The captain nodded. He was a big man with very short black hair. He looked down at the newbie with solid eyes that could hold no fear. Despite his intimidating appearance, he extended his hand.  
"Welcome aboard the Genesis."  
"Th-thank you, sir, but...why am I here? It's supposed to be my day off."  
"Captain," the thin man said, stepping in. "We're about ready to go."  
"Alright." He turned back to the boy. "I'll explain everything later. For now, just go though that door over there and converse with the others." With that, he left.  
"Go?" the boy asked to no one. What was going on? He sighed and went through the door he'd been instructed to enter.  
Inside, there was only one other person: a boy, 18 years old, like he was. He was tall with a head of blonde hair halfway down his neck. He looked rather tough from his strong build.  
"Hi."  
"Hey." The new boy responded.  
"Do you know what's going on?"  
"No, not really." The tough guy extended his hand. "Call me Pyro."  
The boy shook Pyro's hand. "X."  
"What?"  
"That's my name: X."  
"X? Kind of a funny alias, don't you think?"  
"Memorable, right?"  
"True." Pyro nodded.  
"So do I want to know why they call you Pyro?"  
"I like to blow things up."  
"Ah."  
Just then, the ship hummed and came to life.  
"Are we taking off?" X asked.  
"I think so." Pyro answered.  
X sighed. "I thought I had a day off."  
"Mm." They felt the vibrations as the ship lifted away from the dock and hovered away. "So..." Pyro started. "Any reason they call you X?"  
He shrugged. "They just couldn't think of any alias for me, so they just called me X because I had no name. It stuck."  
"Mm. Cool." A minute later, the door opened and the captain walked in, along with the thin man.  
"So, I see you guys have gotten somewhat acquainted." The captain said, sitting down. "Good."  
"Captain." X began, "Why are we here? I don't know about Pyro, but I wasn't scheduled for any training."  
"I know. This isn't training."  
Pyro and X looked at each other.  
"This is the real thing, gentlemen. Welcome aboard."  
"Hold on." X said. "Back up. What do you mean 'this is the real thing'?! You're just gonna pick us up, put us on a ship, and tell us we have a job now?"  
The captain thought about that, then nodded. "That's right."  
"Interesting." Pyro said, unfazed.  
X looked at him. "You're not surprised?"  
"A little, but it's a good kind of surprise, you know?"  
X thought about it. "Well, I guess, but...what about all our stuff?"  
"Packed and in your quarters." The captain answered. "Any other questions?"  
"Yeah. Why did we have no previous notice of this?"  
"We didn't want any complications."  
"Ah. So...why us?"  
"We needed new recruits after that incident we had, you probably know about it."  
"Yeah." Pyro said. "Some crazy program went psycho on all your men."  
"That's it."  
"How inviting." X muttered.  
"We looked through the profiles and watched the actions of many people. It wasn't long before we decided on you three."  
"Three?" Pyro asked.  
"Ah, you haven't met Shadow yet?" The captain noted.  
"Who's Shadow?" X asked.  
"I guess it's understandable."  
"Where is he?"  
"Behind you."  
Pyro and X turned around and saw nothing but the wall in the back. Then, two eyes opened up.  
"WHOA!!" X exclaimed. Someone walked away from his hiding spot with a smile.  
"I was wondering when someone would find me." Shadow said.  
Pyro pointed at him. "That was cool."  
Apparently, Shadow had camouflaged himself by a mixture of paint and clothing to blend in with the walls.  
"Dude." X said, amazed. "How did you do that?!"  
"Shadow is very talented in the ways of stealth." Captain Riley informed. "That's the main reason why we hired him. He'd be a perfect spy."  
Shadow sat down and threw his arms up. "What can I say?" Shadow was about as tall as X was with light brown hair almost to his shoulders. Parts of his hair covered his cerulean eyes.  
"As for Pyro," the captain continued, "He's an excellent fighter; greater than most men I've ever seen. That and he could take down and airport with a pistol."  
Pyro smiled. "Maybe two pistols..."  
Everyone chuckled.  
"Alright." X said, "But what about me? I need an atom bomb to take down an airport. And I'm really no good at stealth. Why hire me?"  
"Your technological intellect."  
X couldn't argue with that one. He did know any computer, inside and out. "So let me guess. I'm the Operator?"  
The thin man who had come in with the captain shorted. "Fat chance, kiddo. That's my job. Call me Hero."  
"Hero?" Shadow asked.  
"You'll call me that when I get you an exit in a tight spot."  
"So then..." X wondered.  
"You're going in with Pyro and Shadow." The captain said.  
"Why?"  
"You're a hacker."  
X jumped. "How do you know that?!"  
"We've been watching you. We want to use your creative skills."  
X took a breath. "You do?"  
"Of course."  
He couldn't believe it.  
"Your technological expertise could prove useful. You know all about viruses; you can identify them rather quickly, or at least their effects."  
"Sort of. I mean, I'm not perfect."  
"But you're eighteen and you know more about this kind of stuff than most ship operators."  
"How can I help if I'm in the Matrix, though?"  
"The Matrix is one giant computer, you know. You can do a lot with it, I'm certain. Besides, our enemies these days are programs, you know."  
X did know. The truce had been settled nearly two years ago, when Neo confronted the Machine King. A little while afterwards, the machines sent representatives so sort out everything. The machines let the humans live, but they couldn't release those in the Matrix just yet. If they did, they'd perish. The machines could only let the humans go if they had another energy source. Originally, the machines' energy came from the sun, but, of course, the black sky now prevented that.  
The sky could quite possibly be cleared, but the machines could not do it themselves; the energy fields were too great for them to endure. It was like flying into a giant EMP field that never turned off. The humans agreed to help. If they cleared the sky, the machines would release the humans.  
And so, the truce was complete...they thought. Apparently, AIs had become too intelligent. Some rebelled, refusing to unite with humans. Rogue programs began attacking the Matrix, created by the truce-breakers. The truce-keeping machines could not delete them. Since they were created from machines, machine viruses were useless. The humans began sending men in to fight the programs. The truce-keeping machines helped out with their own programs-if they could.  
But the programs were hard to find, and harder to kill. The leader of the rebel machines was the one that created the most hideous program known: The Merovingian; the French nuisance that no one seemed able to stop. His empire was incredibly strong now; almost impenetrable.  
Finally, the last crew of the Genesis got in, with the help of the Merovingian's wife, Persephone. It wasn't the first time she'd helped humans, of course. The crew defeated a good number of programs and almost succeeded in deleting the Merovingian himself.  
Then, disaster struck. No one knew what it was or where it came from. A crazed program, incredibly powerful, attacked the crew. Captain Riley was the only one to escape, and he was in intensive care for a while. The stories he told brought chills up and down anyone's spines.  
The monster had a name: Abyss. According to the operator, Hero, the program seemed to come out of nowhere and disappear once its business was done. But according to Riley, the story was deeper. Abyss slaughtered his men and took no damage. Riley barely escaped with his life.  
When he was back on his feet in the real world, the doctors advised him not to go into the Matrix. Now, back on his ship, he was looking for new recruits. He'd found them.  
"So," the captain continued, "Your viral knowledge may prove useful."  
X thought about it. "I can probably upload a bunch of stuff when I plug into the Matrix."  
"That's the spirit. Well, each of you has your own abilities, your own strong and weak points, but I think that together, you three can do a lot."  
Pyro, Shadow, and X looked at each other and smiles slowly spread across their faces.  
"Okay, gentlemen." Riley said. "Let's get to work."  
  
Author's Note: Alright, chapter one done. Kinda dull, I know, but things will get more interesting, trust me. This story is somewhat based on Matrix Online. I know it isn't out yet, but I'm using what I have. Well, what did you all think so far? Please review. It's good to be back. 


	2. Plug It In

Chapter Two: Plug It In  
  
The door opened and X stepped in. "My head hurts."  
  
"You were out there forever. What exactly were you doing?" Each of them had been given a turn to create their Matrix character. That meant assigning a wardrobe, automatic program weapons, and whatever else was needed.  
  
"I had to spend a lot of time making viruses."  
  
"Viruses?" Both other boys asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'm a hacker. I know viruses. It's how I fight."  
  
"What kind of viruses?"  
  
"Whatever kind you need, plus some other helpful stuff. I also had to upload Neovision, remember?"  
  
"Ah." Shadow said as X sat. "So, when were you freed, X?"  
  
"About two years ago, give or take some months. You?"  
  
"Two years."  
  
"Three years." Pyro added.  
  
"So you're pretty good at fighting, eh?" X asked him.  
  
Pyro smiled. "When they put that first gun in my hand, I knew it was for me. I guess it just came natural."  
  
"I saw some of the stuff you did in your simulation." Shadow said to Pyro. Each of them had gone through a short simulation so that the others could get a small look at each other's style. "Pretty crazy. The cap'n says you're a regular Neo."  
  
He snorted. "I wouldn't go that far. But, man, that's some nice stealth you've got going."  
  
Shadow grinned at his recognition. "Before I was unplugged, I'd always sneak up behind people and scare the pants off them when the turned and saw me right there." He chuckled. "And the bullies could never get me because I always knew this great place to hide. I've always had a passion for the sneaky approach."  
  
"I hear you're quite the, uh, 'imitator' as well." X pointed out. Shadow shrugged.  
  
"So I fib a little."  
  
"A little? Oh, and I don't think a person's back is supposed to bend the way yours does."  
  
"I'm evasive. So? And what about you? How'd you learn to work computers like that? Let me guess. You were just born with it, right?"  
  
"Actually, no. I began hacking only five and a half months ago."  
  
"Why? What happened then?" Pyro asked.  
  
X moved the hair on the side of his head. "That's the scar from the hit I took. Something went wrong with the simulation and the demonstration program got the best of me. He knocked me out. I woke up, like, three hours later. That bump on the head really did it for me. I just had this massive increase in my mental capabilities. I just went from there."  
  
"And in only five months, you're making multiple viruses?" Pyro noted.  
  
X shrugged. "Yeah."  
  
Shadow noticed something. "What's that around your neck?" X looked down.  
  
"Oh, this?" He pulled it out. It was a small memory stick attached to a necklace. "It's only my greatest creation ever. It's also a virus, but unlike anything you guys have ever seen. It's unbelievably deadly. It'll either completely destroy any computer, or make it do what I want, depending on what I need. It's untraceable and incurable. Once my virus gets in-and it will get in-there is no hope, try as the opponent might."  
  
"How dramatic." Pyro said. "What do you call it?"  
  
"The X-Virus."  
  
"I should've guessed."  
  
"So here we have a fighter, a hacker, and a spy." Shadow noted. "With our combined talents, we should be a pretty formidable force."  
  
"Let's hope so." Captain Riley said, stepping into the room. "We have a minor problem in the Matrix."  
  
"What's up?" X asked.  
  
"Well, to anyone still plugged in, it would seem like just a gang fight, but in truth, it's a program battle. A good number of them are attacking some of our own. Now, they can probably take them out, but I figure you three could save them a few bruises. You three up to it?"  
  
"Are we ever!" Pyro jumped up, ready to roll.  
  
The three of them helped each other get plugged in.  
  
"You ready?" Riley asked. Pyro was smiling.  
  
"Let me at 'em." He was plugged in. Shadow and X followed.  
  
It was evening in the Matrix, but the Mega City was still alive. Citizens were heading to one of many clubs all over the city, or just out doing their business. Pyro, Shadow, and X stepped out of the empty apartment building they'd been entered into.  
  
"Alright." Pyro said. "The real thing." He wore a khaki pants with black boots and a black, sleeveless shirt covered by a black, sleeveless trench coat. Plus, he had black shades, but his bangs covered them a little.  
  
"The sun is setting." Shadow smiled. "All the better for hiding." He wore a black shirt with black pants and a long, black trench coat with a high collar. The coat was tied around his waist by a black sash. He also had black boots and shades, but he'd done something different with his hair. Now, it was midnight black with red streaks going down it.  
  
"Let's get moving." X said. "We don't want to miss the action." He had a black sleeveless shirt with a dark trench coat with the sleeves cut off. He had black pants and boots and a black cuff under his left shoulder and his right wrist. Neovision was transformed from a headset into thicker shades with a nearly invisible switch on it. Flip it on and he could see the code. Under his trench coat, there were three utility belts: One around his waist and two crossed into an X. They were loaded with viruses and who knew what else.  
  
The three of them jogged off and ran down an alley. The battle was taking place at a sort of "alley intersection". There were a good number of programs facing about four crewmen of another ship. It was like Riley said. They could probably handle it, but help wouldn't be a bad idea.  
  
Shadow, being the fastest, got ahead first. He flipped a switch on a small black device on his wrist and-to human eyes-he disappeared. What he'd actually done was hide in the code. The only way to see him was to see the code itself. Some programs could see that way, but a good deal couldn't. Besides, it gave an extra element of surprise.  
  
Shadow ran and jumped, kicking through about three programs, knocking them to the ground. The matrix-enterers looked over and saw the other two coming.  
  
Pyro charged head-on, tackling a program. He rolled and turned to fight again. The program catapulted up and charged. Pyro dodged two punches, then swung twice. Both fists were grabbed, so Pyro jumped and kicked off the program's chest, backflipping with the force. Two more ran at him. Pyro bent back, shooting his foot up and catching a program in the jaw. The other one swung at him and Pyro bent to the side to evade it, then swung back with a powerful punch. The first program flew into the second.  
  
Shadow jumped clear over a program who didn't even see him coming and kicked behind, knocking him right into a fighter's kick. Shadow landed and flopped onto his back, putting his feet up to catch the program as he fell, then kicked him over his head and into a wall. Shadow saw another fighter in trouble and kicked out its legs. The program fell onto its back and Shadow jumped into the air and landed with his elbow in the program's chest.  
  
X slid right into the battle, tripping two programs, then jumped back up. One program jumped right back up angrily and swung at him. X blocked the hit, as well as the next two, and then got in a punch of his own. The program caught his fist and threw him over his head. X went with it and kicked off a wall, then shot back and kicked the program. It catapulted up instantly and kicked twice. X knocked away the third kick and reached into his coat and grabbed a small item. He ducked under another attack and spun into the program. All the program felt was a pinprick as X hit him, then spun away. In only a second, the program felt something welling up within him. X smiled and held up the small, rectangular device with a needlepoint. It was like some sort of strange syringe. The program fell to his knees as an outward force filled his body. The program gave a cry as red light came from his eyes and mouth. Then, he burst into fragments of code and was no more. The program was deleted.  
  
The fight continued in favor of the enterers. The programs were being picked off one by one. They weren't entirely strong in the first place. Finally, the programs ran off in different directions.  
  
"Split up!" Pyro ordered. "Meet back right here!" With that, each member of the team ran off down a different alley.  
  
Pyro ran as fast as he could in hot pursuit of the program, a long- haired, tall, and scrawny freak. He was rather quick, but Pyro kept running. The program kept looking back and kept seeing Pyro, so it finally decided it wasn't going to get out of this by just running.  
  
The program pulled out a handgun and fired rapidly. Pyro dove behind a dumpster and waited for the firing to cease. When it did, he ran again. The program was further ahead now. Pyro was no longer certain he could catch him. He saw the program turn to fire again. Pyro knew only one way to stop this. As soon as the firing started, Pyro ran over to a wall, then ran on it. As he ran he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, one of his favorite weapons.  
  
Pyro took aim as his enemy kept firing. Pyro fired once. He heard a yelp of pain as the program's gun flew out of its hand. It stumbled and fell, giving Pyro another chance to run. He got back on the ground and started to aim again. Not wanting to take another shot, the program ran again, this time down another alley. Pyro lowered his gun and put his strength into running.  
  
He turned down the same alley as the program, jumping out of the way to avoid the expected fire from his foe. He looked, but the program could not be found. He saw something above him and looked up. The program was hopping up the fire escape of an apartment building. Pyro jumped atop a dumpster and forced a super-high jump, ascending about four floors. He flipped up onto the fifth, then ran up the rest of the way. On the tenth floor, he leaned over the edge and pointed his gun upwards. But to his surprise, he found no one.  
  
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Pyro looked over and saw the program coming at him. Apparently, he had jumped over to the opposite building and was now jumping back. Pyro ducked under several bullets, then came up. The program was right in his face. Pyro fired, sending a shotgun bullet right into the program's head.  
  
Though he was dead, the program was still flying. It slammed into Pyro at full force. Pyro's head smashed against the brick wall behind him.  
  
He knew no more.  
  
X hated chasing his enemies. He liked to get it over with right then and there.  
  
"Come on and fight me, coward!" X spat. The program rounded a corner and X chased after him. Unfortunately, he forgot one of the many things you learn from TV: if an enemy runs around a corner and you pursue them, they WILL be waiting for you.  
  
The program shot his hand out and clothselined him. X was knocked onto his back, dazed. The program stomped on his chest, then swung a powerful kick that launched him into the wall nearby. He came forward, but X whipped out a handgun and fired. The program evaded the bullets, but knew it was best to leave, so he did.  
  
X rubbed his sore ribs and painfully got up to continue the chase. He fired a few rounds every now and then, but he never hit the program. He did, however, stall him by forcing him to dodge the bullets, instead of continue forward.  
  
The program ran to the end of the alley and turned to run down the sidewalk. This time, X put his back against the wall, then spun around, gun ready. He froze. The program had run for help. He stood near black car with two big programs, each carrying a very large gun that X guessed were automatic. He was right. They fired, accompanied by the program X had been chasing. X jumped back behind the wall, avoiding ricocheting bullets. When the stopped firing, X knew he needed a better place to attack than this.  
  
X focused and ran. Bullets flew around him. He jumped and rolled across the street. Bullets struck passing cars, causing them to swerve and crash. X dove behind a car, then poked his head out for a few shots. He missed and his enemies kept firing.  
  
X cowered behind the car, which took massive amounts of damage. Soon, he was forced to move to the next car. He fired a few times and ducked again. This car, too, took a beating.  
  
Just then, the firing stopped. Well, it didn't stop, but the car wasn't being impaled. X looked over the hood and saw a program drop. The other two were firing at something else. X stood up to see and his eyes shot open. It was a girl, late teen, he assumed, with an Uzi. She kicked off the wall and soared over the programs, firing rapidly. The two remaining programs fell before she hit the ground.  
  
When she landed, X got a good look at her and couldn't take his eyes off. Physically, she was virtually every man's dream of a woman. Fairly tall with long, blonde hair, parts hanging over her face. She was very, eh, "well-developed". Curvy, curvy, curvy. Long legs, tight body, tight outfit, this babe was meant to impressed. It seemed nearly impossible that a girl this hot could exist!  
  
X was glade he was wearing shades, so she couldn't see how wide his eyes were as she looked over at him, lowering her weapon.  
  
"You okay?" She asked in a melodic voice that captivated him.  
  
"Um . . .yeah. I'm, uh . . .I'm fine." And so are you. He thought. They walked closer to each other and the girl looked him over. She took off her shades, revealing her cool blue eyes. Her eyebrows perked as she eyed him. "Mm." She grinned, approvingly.  
  
"Wh-what?" X stammered.  
  
"You're kinda cute."  
  
Okay. A supremely hot fighter chick in tight clothing just said you were cute. What do you do? X certainly didn't know, other than stutter mindlessly.  
  
"Uh, well, I, uh, dyah, uh, heh, I, um, heh, heh..."  
  
She chuckled. "Easy, boy. What's your name?"  
  
"My, uh, my name? It's uh, it's X. My name's X."  
  
"X, huh? Mysterious." Something about the way she said "mysterious" made it sound like she liked him all the more. X could barely believe it.  
  
"What's, uh...what's your name?" He desperately wanted to know.  
  
"Call me Siren."  
  
"S-S-Siren, eh? Nice. Very nice name."  
  
"Why thank you."  
  
Brrriiiinnnggg!! Siren pulled out her phone.  
  
"Siren." There was a pause. "Alright." She hung up. "I'd love to talk more, but I have to get to my exit." She turned. "See you around."  
  
As she walked off, X was able to get a good look at her glorious backside.  
  
"It's not polite to stare." Siren said without turning. X's face flushed with embarrassment. "But you know," She tossed her head back and looked at him. "Some girls like it." She gave a devilish smile and walked away.  
  
"Wow." X said.  
  
Brrriiiinnnggg!!  
  
X snapped to attention and answered the phone. "X."  
  
"What were you doing?!" Hero demanded.  
  
"I, uh . . .I was . . ."  
  
"Talking to the hot chick?"  
  
"Y-yeah."  
  
"I guessed by the way your body was . . .ah, never mind. I don't wanna think about it. Just get back to work!" Click.  
  
X scratched the back of his head and headed back.  
  
Shadow had a history of being rather fast. People told him he should've joined the track team back in the day. He declined, saying he didn't want to embarrass the professionals.  
  
Now, surrounded by the dark night and dimly-lit alleyways, running as fast as he could in pursuit of his foe, Shadow felt truly at home. He charged at full speed, drawing nearer to his victim. The program looked back, and could obviously see him because he ran harder. Shadow cut through an early alleyway just as his victim turned down another. He drew his gun and ran to the next intersection. As soon as the program showed itself, Shadow fired. The program dropped to the ground. Shadow twirled his gun and put it away.  
  
As he walked back, he saw someone fly across his path. Someone else chased after them. Shadow looked over and saw a program attacking someone, a girl. She jumped up and kicked at the program. It took the hit, grabbed her, and threw her into the wall. She'd obviously taken a beating already by the way she struggled to stand.  
  
Shadow ran up, jumped off a wall and spun into a kick, catching the program by surprise. It jumped back up and looked at him with angry eyes. The program swung twice and Shadow dodged them both. It swung a high kick, which Shadow ducked under, then a low kick, which he jumped over. While jumping, Shadow kicked him. The program kept swinging at him, but Pyro could not be touched. He bent and twisted in every which way to avoid being hit and it paid off.  
  
The program was getting angry and started to charge again.  
  
BLAM! The program fell dead. Shadow looked over at the program's potential victim.  
  
"Didn't see that coming, did he?" She asked. Shadow turned off his stealth and helped the girl up.  
  
"You alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She brushed her hair away from her face. Now, it hung down little below her shoulders. She had a black, sleeveless top that left her midriff exposed and slightly baggy black pants tied tight around her waist and black boots underneath them. She was rather pretty, really.  
  
"Wow." Shadow said.  
  
"What?" She asked. He quickly looked for an excuse.  
  
"That's a nasty gash there." He gestured to her shoulder.  
  
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm fine, really."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"But, um, thank you for your help."  
  
"Oh, no prob. Thanks for shooting him and taking a load off me." They both chuckled. "I'm Shadow."  
  
"You're a spy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I guessed. I'm Shade." They shook hands.  
  
"Nice to meet you."  
  
"Likewise. We should get back."  
  
They started walking. But Shadow's interests had been raised already.  
  
"So, uh, you new?"  
  
"Yeah. Was it that easy to tell?"  
  
Shadow quickly shook his head. "No, no. You just looked kinda young."  
  
"Mm. I've been doing this for only two months. If I had to guess, I'd say you're a newbie too, right?"  
  
"Yeah. This is my first mission."  
  
"First? Really?" She asked in disbelief. "Wow. You're pretty good for your first time."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I didn't know someone's back could bend that way, even in the Matrix." She chuckled. Shadow was flattered.  
  
"Well, I do practice on evasion and stealth the most. I like the secret approach."  
"Me too, but once they know you're there, it gets more difficult." She rubbed her neck. She had to admit to herself that she was getting a little interested in this Shadow character. "So what ship do you travel on?"  
  
"The Genesis. What about you?"  
  
"The Beta Neb."  
  
Shadow stopped. "The Beta Neb?!"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Shadow couldn't believe it. The Beta Neb was the most highly regarded ship on the fleet. It was named from the Greek word "beta", which was second, and "Neb" was short for the most famous ship ever. The Beta Neb was a reconstruction of the Nebuchadnezzar  
  
"So . . .you know him?"  
  
Shade knew what he was talking about. "Yes, I do."  
  
"Wow. That's amazing!"  
  
"You get used to it." She shrugged.  
  
Soon enough, they came to the alley intersection again, where everyone was waiting.  
  
"Hey!" X called. "What's up?" Everyone turned to them.  
  
"Shade. There you are." A deep voice acknowledged. Shadow couldn't believe who he was facing. He was a tall, black man with a large frame and bald head. He always spoke coolly and professionally, like he had all the answers. Everyone knew him.  
  
"Captain Morpheus." Shade said.  
  
"We were starting to worry." Another voice said. He was younger, but a year older than the others. Shadow knew him as one of the greatest heroes Zion ever knew. He was the one who opened the gate and let in the Hammer during the Great Sentinel Battle. His alias: Kid.  
  
"I must admit," Shade said. "If it were not for Shadow here, I probably would not be here."  
  
"Then we are grateful to you, Shadow." Morpheus shook his hand, as did Kid and another person: A long-haired man in his late twenties named Fox.  
  
"Didn't you guys have a third member?" Fox noted. X and Shadow looked at each other. X asked it first.  
  
"Where's Pyro?"  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I had a bit more fun with that chapter. I had to have Morpheus somewhere in the story. Why not? So, X and Shadow are safe, but what of Pyro? The next chapter will tell. In the meantime, thanks for reading and please review! Ciao. 


	3. Recovery

Chapter Three: Recovery  
  
"Anything?" Shadow asked. They were back in the real world and searching the Matrix for their comrade.  
  
"Nothing." Hero sighed. "He was last seen over here." He showed them on the screen. "Then he just disappeared."  
  
"How did he just disappear?" X had to ask.  
  
"In the Matrix, it usually means one of two things: they're either dead or unconscious. Seeing how Pyro is still breathing, we can bet on the latter. His mind is inactive, therefore we cannot find him. Once he wakes up, we will."  
  
"But the question is when will he wake up?"  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see." Riley admitted.  
  
"Okay, was he knocked unconscious or drugged?" Shadow finally grumbled. It was very late and there was still no sign of Pyro.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I am ready to sleep." X yawned.  
  
"I'll stay up and keep searching every now and then." Hero volunteered.  
  
"No, you need your rest too." Riley corrected. "We'll go in shifts. Hero, you take the first two hours, then I'll take the next two, then Shadow, and X will finish the night.  
  
"Then good night, all." X said. "My shift is early."  
  
"Sleep best come easy." Shadow said. With that, they went.  
  
All through the night, the crew searched. Hero left the computers after his shift in frustration and wonder, and thus found it difficult to sleep.  
  
Riley, too, went to sleep with no answers. He'd tried super-thorough searches on certain, small parts, trying to improve the scanning, yet nothing was found.  
  
Shadow kept checking out everywhere in the Matrix every minute of his shift. He did not want to leave the computer with no results. However, he soon had to retire to bed, for he was still quite sleepy. He hit Pyro's body on the way out, hoping it would stir him.  
  
X racked his mind, trying to fiddle with the computer in order to find Pyro, but even he could not get it to work for him. It became quite apparent that the computer could only find Pyro if he were awake. After over an hour, X was ready to just call it quits.  
  
Brriingg!!  
  
X's eyes shot open.  
  
Brriingg!! The phone rang again. X looked around, wondering if Hero would come in and answer it.  
  
Brriingg!! He wasn't coming. X picked up the headset, put it on, and pressed the answer button.  
  
"Uh...Operator."  
  
"I have reached the Genesis, have I not?"  
  
"Um . . .maybe . . .who's calling?" The voice sounded familiar.  
  
"Why, X, is that you?"  
  
X's eyes widened. "Siren?!"  
  
"It is you! Hey, you recognized me!"  
  
"Uh, heh, well, yeah."  
  
"Why are you answering the phone?"  
  
"Uh, our operator is asleep."  
  
"But why are you up?"  
  
"Well . . ."  
  
"Don't answer. I think I already know. It's your comrade, isn't it?"  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"Long story. I know where he is."  
  
"What?! How?!"  
  
"Even longer story. Let's just say I know a source."  
  
"Fine, whatever. Where is he?!"  
  
"Whoa! Calm down. Cool off a little. Haste could ruin everything, you know."  
  
X tried to calm himself. "Is he hurt?"  
  
"A bit, but nothing too severe. But I suggest you act quickly."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well...it's complicated. Have Pyro explain it when he gets back."  
  
"Whatever. Where is he?"  
  
"Meet me in the Matrix and I'll show you where. It's easier that way."  
  
"Oh . . .okay."  
  
Her tone of voice changed. "Then I look forward to seeing you again."  
  
X had to blush. "Heh, you too."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be wearing the same tight outfit."  
  
Click. X slowly took off the headset, eyes wide open. "Must hurry! Must hurry!!"  
  
"Just how does she know where Pyro is?" Shadow asked again. He and X were in the Matrix, waiting for Siren to show up.  
  
X sighed. "Once more, I don't know!"  
  
"You've known this girl for less than twelve hours and already you trust her?"  
  
"It may have been foolish, but what other lead have we?"  
  
"You talk of her beauty. Perhaps it had affected your mind?"  
  
"Perhaps, and perhaps I just want to find my friend before he should die."  
  
Shadow couldn't argue with that one. "Alright, so how should we recognize her?"  
  
"Look for the really hot chick."  
  
Shadow rolled his eyes. "That can be a lot of people."  
  
X shook his head with a wide smile. "No way, man. She excels, physically, beyond any female I have ever seen."  
  
Shadow got curious. "Hair color?"  
  
"Blonde, and it's long."  
  
"Height?"  
  
"Um...about...5'8" or so. Don't know for sure."  
  
"Legs?"  
  
"Long."  
  
"Butt?"  
  
X looked at him. "Ti-hi-hight." He froze.  
  
Shadow probed further with a devilish grin. "Cup size?"  
  
"D."  
  
Shadow suddenly realized why X had frozen in place ever since he turned around. The voice that answered him wasn't X's. He slowly turned and beheld the hottest chick he'd ever seen.  
  
"Any other personal questions?" She asked him.  
  
A red-faced Shadow shook his head.  
  
"Alright, then." She walked over to X with a smile. "So, you came. I was afraid you wouldn't trust me."  
  
"Well," X was caught up in her body again. "You, uh, you did save my butt back there."  
  
She nodded. "Indeed I did. And speaking of butts, it's nice to know you think so highly of mine."  
  
X had no reply for that-probably for the best. Siren just kept her seductive smile.  
  
"So shall we go?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"To your friend!"  
  
"OH! Yeah. Lead on."  
  
"Right." She turned and walked off with the boys behind her. Both of them found themselves eyeballing her. Shadow's hand even reached out. X smacked it away and gave him a joking punch to the shoulder.  
  
After a moment of walking, Shadow was reminded of an earlier question.  
  
"So, Siren, how exactly did you find Pyro?"  
  
"I have a source." She said.  
  
"A source." Shadow repeated. "Lovely. So what happened to him, anyway?"  
  
Pyro's eyes fluttered open. His head never hurt so badly. Everything was a blur.  
  
"Ah . . ." He groaned. He stayed put to allow his mind to pull itself together. He lifted up his hand and touched the side of his head. He quickly removed it. It hurt even to touch. He looked around and his mind kicked back in.  
  
He didn't know where he was.  
  
Pyro sat up and looked around. He was in a bedroom, a rather small one. It was kind of drafty. He looked and saw that he had no shirt on at all. It was over on a chair...as were his trousers.  
  
"I wake up in a place I don't know wearing nothing but my boxers...have I died and gone to prison?"  
  
He got up and put his pants on, then looked himself over in the mirror before putting on his shirt. He had a number of bruises and cuts on his upper body and had seen-and felt several more on his legs. Some wounds were bandaged.  
  
"How nice." Pyro said sarcastically. But the most obvious thing was the bandage around his head. He fixed his hair so it fell over it, making it look like a cool bandana. "Gotta look good." He chuckled.  
  
Pyro put on his shirt and picked up his trench coat. As he slid it on, he noticed it felt strangely light. Plus, he felt nothing pressing against him on the inside. He opened his coat and looked at it.  
  
"No way." He said. His guns were gone. He patted himself down and looked all through the coat, but found nothing. He looked around the room, but couldn't find his weapons anywhere. "Wonderful."  
  
Pyro slowly, but surely opened the door to the bedroom and looked around the outside of it. It was an apartment, judging by the size. He slowly slid out of the room, trying to be as quiet as he could. The door to the other bedroom was open and he peered inside, trying to get a look at who had taken him. But they were gone.  
  
He decided he best leave, then call Hero. He headed for the door. At that moment, the door swung open. Pyro instinctively reached for a gun, but found it still empty. The person walking in was as surprised to see him as he was to see her.  
  
"Oh." She said. "You're awake!" She was a young woman with fairly short brunette hair and wore sweat clothes. She looked like she'd just come from an early-morning jog.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
The female walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottled water. "Huh?"  
  
"You said 'you're awake', so you knew I was here at some point, asleep?"  
  
"Yeah." She was too calm.  
  
"What happened and where am I?"  
  
"You don't remember anything?" She asked, cocking her head.  
  
"The last thing I remember is being tackled by . . .someone and hitting my head. Then I woke up here. And I suppose you can finish the story?"  
  
"I can. You see, I was sleeping when I heard gunshots. In this neighborhood, that's not unusual, but they were really close this time." She unzipped her sweat jacket, under which she had a sleeveless shirt. "I tried to ignore it, but I saw flashes outside my window and heard a thud. The flashes, I later deducted, were from the gunfire. I opened the fire escape window to see what had happened and found you and your dead buddy. You were alive, so I brought you inside to check on you."  
  
"That would explain the clothing situation in which I awoke."  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. I was checking for injuries."  
  
"Thank you for that, but in any case, you didn't call the cops?"  
  
"Death is too common for that around here. I just threw the body over the fire escape."  
  
Pyro raised a brow. "Seriously?"  
  
"Yeah, you can check if you want."  
  
"No thanks. One more question: Where are my guns?"  
  
"Ah, yes, those. I took them."  
  
Pyro's eye twitched behind his shades. "You what?!"  
  
"Hey, it was strange enough having a stranger in my home. You think I'm gonna let you walk around with guns, too? Crime may be common, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna just throw myself into danger."  
  
"Not to insinuate anything, but I can cause damage without my guns."  
  
"I'm sure you can." She said, unafraid.  
  
"Give them back."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't."  
  
"Any why not?"  
  
"I disposed of them."  
  
Now, Pyro was angry. "I may have needed those."  
  
"What for?" She took another sip of her water.  
  
"My own business."  
  
"What, are you a hit man?"  
  
"If need be." He smartly replied.  
  
"So why shouldn't I call the cops on you right now?"  
  
"Because crime is all too common in this neighborhood." He smiled.  
  
The girl nodded. "You catch on fast." She cocked her head. "Where are you from?"  
  
Now the conversation was turning friendly? "Why?"  
  
"I want to know something about the guy who crashed into my apartment."  
  
"You own your own apartment?" He was a bit stunned. "You look a little young."  
  
"I'm seventeen."  
  
"Then I'm surprised you haven't been mugged and killed already if things are as bad as you say they are."  
  
"I don't give them a chance. And if they try, I'm a red belt in tai- kwon doe."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mm-hm. My instructor says I'm a very fast learner."  
  
"Good." He said. "I was a black belt."  
  
"Was?" Pyro realized he'd slipped.  
  
"Well, I still am."  
  
"You looked like you were active." She noted.  
  
"More than you know."  
  
The girl got back to the original question. "Where do you come from?"  
  
He pondered this. "Someplace far from here, you could say."  
  
"And why does a black belt walk the streets in a trench coat loaded with guns wearing dark glasses, trying to act like a tough guy?"  
  
Pyro had to chuckle at this. "It's hard to say, really. Let's just say there are certain individuals out there who would prefer that I were dead."  
  
"So you fight for protection."  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"  
  
"You can call me Pyro."  
  
"And you can call me Veronica."  
  
He nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"So how does someone who's seventeen come to own an apartment?"  
  
She walked over and sat on the couch, and patted the seat next to her. Pyro was hesitant, but sat down anyway.  
  
"First of all, I don't own this apartment. My boyfriend does."  
  
"Why do you live out here instead of at home?"  
  
"'Home' isn't the word I would use for my household."  
  
"Rough time?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe it. My dad was always drunk and abusive. My mother just got drunk with him and did nothing. They spent all their money on beer and other junk. Then I met Scott. He and I ran off together and came here. We both work and keep this place going."  
  
"I think I saw this movie." Pyro responded. Veronica hit him lightly.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"So this Scott fellow. Where is he?"  
  
"He had to work overnight last night."  
  
"Sounds like a good guy."  
  
Veronica looked away. "Yeah, he is."  
  
There was a silence. "Veronica, I have to know something. Why did you take me in?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I could've been a murderer, a rapist, who knows what?"  
  
"Well, that's why I took your guns. I wasn't sure."  
  
"But you still let me into your home in a town of violence."  
  
Veronica shrugged. "I don't know for sure. I guess I just saw you all beat up and in need of some help, so I did. Maybe I thought you'd return the favor by not killing me."  
  
"That's a lot of trust for a stranger."  
  
"It was a long shot, I know, but I suppose I figured I could handle you if needed." Then, she added, "Besides, I'm not afraid of death."  
  
"But do you invite it?" He pointed out, half-jokingly. Veronica didn't respond.  
  
Bzzzt. The intercom buzzed. "Hey, babe." A voice on the other side said.  
  
Veronica's eyes shot open. "Oh, no!!"  
  
"What?" Pyro asked.  
  
"I'm comin' up now. See ya in a few seconds." The intercom shut off.  
  
"That was Scott!" Veronica said.  
  
"Ah." Pyro nodded.  
  
"You have to leave!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Scott won't take kindly to my letting you in!"  
  
"Then explain it to him."  
  
"I can't! You just have to leave!"  
  
"Alright! Alright!" He headed for the door. Suddenly, the doorknob rattled against the lock. Pyro froze. As he heard the latch unlock, Veronica shoved him into the side wall just when the door opened. Pyro kept quiet.  
  
"Hey, babe!" The man said. He was a lean, tough guy in a white, sleeveless shirt and blue jeans with spiked brown hair. He looked like he was in his twenties.  
  
"Hey!" Veronica replied awkwardly. They kissed.  
  
"Miss me?"  
  
"Y-yeah." She said. She stole a quick glance at Pyro.  
  
Scott moved in and put his hands on her hips and pulled her close. The kiss he placed upon her face seemed somewhat awkward for Veronica and she didn't exactly seem too comfortable with where his hands were.  
  
"Kept thinkin' 'bout ya."  
  
"Mm, really?" She asked, not seeming too interested in where that was going. She looked at him and waved her arm, signifying he should leave.  
  
Pyro was reluctant. Something about this guy just didn't seem right. But she kept waving him off. Slowly, Pyro slid over to the door. He kept watching as Scott moved his hands in ways Veronica didn't exactly seem to appreciate, and yet she did nothing to stop him. He moved his kisses down to her neck and she looked over his shoulder at Pyro and waved him again. Pyro sighed, not liking the situation, but still reached down and put his hand on the knob.  
  
Brrriiiiinnnggg!!!  
  
Scott spun around and looked at Pyro, who could only stand frozen in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, who the heck are you?!" Scott demanded.  
  
Pyro sighed and shook his head, then reached for his phone.  
  
"I said who are you?!"  
  
"Scott!" Veronica put in. "It's okay!"  
  
"What?!" He demanded.  
  
Pyro pulled out his phone. "Your timing sucks . . .mm-hm . . .yeah, I'm alright . . .yeah, someone took me in."  
  
Scott looked at Veronica with a questioning and angry look on his face. "What did he say?"  
  
"Alright. I'll meet them here or nearby at least. Alright." He hung up. "Don't worry, buddy. I won't be here for long. My people are coming."  
  
Scott was more interested in Veronica's voice. "You let him in here?"  
  
"I, uh . . ."  
  
"What were you thinking?!"  
  
"H-he was hurt, so I brought him in to help him."  
  
"What are you, an idiot?! He could've killed you!"  
  
"He didn't seem like he would."  
  
Scott wasn't moved by that, of course, but his mind wandered to another factor. "So just what were you two doing while I was gone?"  
  
"What?!" Veronica exclaimed. "Nothing!"  
  
"And how am I supposed to know that?"  
  
"Scott . . ."  
  
"How am I to know that you haven't been sleepin' around behind my back?"  
  
"Don't you trust me better than that?!"  
  
"Not really!" He was unbelievably blunt with that last remark.  
  
"Hey." Pyro said. "Ease up; we didn't do anything."  
  
"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe you?! Buddy, I want you out!"  
  
"Scott, hold on." Veronica protested.  
  
"Hey, shut up!" He commanded. "I don't wanna hear any more from you."  
  
Pyro's eyes narrowed and he looked at Veronica. "Is he always like this?"  
  
"He . . ." She began.  
  
"I said SHUT UP!!" Scott blasted. Pyro was liking this guy less and less as the seconds passed.  
  
"Are you just gonna stand there and take that?!" Pyro asked her. Scott laughed.  
  
"What is she gonna do about it?"  
  
Pyro ignored him and spoke again to Veronica. "You're a tai-kwon doe red belt! Beat him down!"  
  
Veronica's eyes shot open as Scott's narrowed. He slowly turned and to face her. "Tai-kwon doe?" Veronica looked fearful. "I thought I told you to stop taking those lessons!"  
  
Pyro mentally punched himself. Of course. A commanding boyfriend wouldn't want his girlfriend to learn to fight. There was a chance of losing dominance.  
  
"I told you over a year ago!" He hissed.  
  
"Scott . . ." She began. Then, Scott made a mistake. He swung his back hand and struck her across the face.  
  
"Hey!" Pyro snapped. "Back off." Scott was boiling now.  
  
"Listen, I want you out of my apartment. NOW!!"  
  
"And leave her to your bidding?" Pyro snorted. "I think not."  
  
Scott then made another mistake. He reached forward and grabbed the collar of Pyro's trench coat. "Listen, you-"  
  
Pyro grabbed his wrist and twisted it. "Don't be any more of a fool than you are."  
Scott swung his other fist. Pyro ducked and sung with the first fist and spun the man in the air. He landed on his stomach. Scott got up and charged at him. Pyro jumped off the counter and delivered a spinning kick to Scott's head, knocking him to the ground.  
  
"Wanna try again?" Pyro threatened.  
  
Scott crawled away and ran to the door. "YOU JUST WAIT!!" He slammed the door behind him.  
  
Pyro looked over at her. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, it was nothing."  
  
He sighed. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay . . .you didn't know."  
  
"Do you just stand there and let him control you like that?"  
  
"What else can I do?" Pyro couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
  
"Fight back! You know you can!"  
  
"He's still strong. What if I can't beat him? It'll just make him angrier! Then what?"  
  
"Leave!" Pyro suggested. "Go! Right now!"  
  
Veronica looked him in the eyes. "And where would I go?"  
  
Pyro found himself at a loss of words.  
  
"Listen, you should go. The cops will be here soon."  
  
"Cops? Did Scott call them? I thought they wouldn't bother to come."  
  
"Scott IS a cop!"  
  
". . .oh . . ."  
  
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.  
  
"He's in an apartment complex a little ways from here." Siren was finally explaining. "We believe someone in the apartment took him in after finding him on the fire escape."  
  
"What was he doing there?" Shadow asked.  
  
"That's where he was knocked unconscious by an attacking program. He killed it, but just too late."  
  
"I see. But he's alright?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alright." They were coming to an alley corner.  
  
A chill swept over X's body. He'd had enough bad experience with corners. Just to be safe, he pushed the switch forward on his dark glasses. The world changed into a world of green and black. Being able to see the code means being able to see everything around you. Seeing through coded objects was a bit difficult, but X was used to it.  
  
He peered through the building to their right and further still to the next alley.  
  
"Wait!" he commanded. Everyone froze.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Come with me!" He quickly ran back. Shadow and Siren followed him.  
  
"What's going on?" Shadow asked again when they hid behind another building.  
  
"Programs." X said. "Around that corner."  
  
Siren was amazed. "How can you tell?!"  
  
X pointed to his glasses. "Little gadget of mine. Turn it on and I can see the code. I did so and saw about six programs."  
  
"Really?" Siren responded, still shocked.  
  
"Yep. C'mon. There's gotta be another way."  
  
"Whoa, wait." Siren grabbed his arm. X liked the contact. "This is the fastest way. Don't you think we can take them?"  
  
"They have guns . . .lots of guns." X said.  
  
"It's safer just to go around." Shadow had to agree. Siren seemed reluctant.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Itching to fight?" X smiled.  
  
She chuckled. "Like you wouldn't believe."  
  
X, with his improved vision, led the way, running far from the alley and going around two more buildings and passing more streets in order to avoid the programs. They made a wide semicircle, ending up right near the apartment building, where X turned off Neovision.  
  
"Alright." Siren said, producing a key. "This'll get you past the security door. It's on the sixth floor. Apartment fourteen A. Good luck."  
  
"Good luck?" Shadow repeated.  
  
"I was told to only lead you here. Now, I have other business to attend to."  
  
"Oh . . ." X seemed disappointed.  
  
"Aw, don't worry, X." Siren said, stepping forward. She stroked his face with a hand and pressed up against him. "We'll meet again." She moved in and planted a kiss on his lips. It was a rather DEEP kiss, X noticed, not that he objected. She slid the key into his pocket, then she parted with a smile.  
  
"Uh . . .wow." Was all X could say.  
  
"Farewell." Siren turned and trotted off. X stared after her.  
  
"Keep it in you pants, man." Shadow said, whacking him upside the head. X snapped back to attention.  
  
"Right." They turned and headed for the front door. A cop car was in the front, its owner, a twenties man, was sitting in the driver's seat, blaring into the radio. He wasn't in uniform, so he must've been off-duty. X and Shadow were going to pass him, but he said something interesting.  
  
"He's about six foot one." He said. "Brown hair, black shades, black clothing. He's wearing a trench coat."  
  
The comrades spun around and looked as the cop. He was calling for backup. Apparently, he'd been attacked. A little over the edge? Well, no, but to someone still plugged in, yes.  
  
"Excuse me." X said, walking up to him.  
  
"Busy!!" He blasted. He shot them a double-take, looking at their outfits.  
  
"We heard you describing someone."  
  
"You're with him!" The cop exclaimed. "Two more!" He shouted into the radio, while reaching for his gun. "There are two more!" He aimed his gun. "FREEZE!"  
  
Shadow and X looked at each other. Yeah, right. Shadow was faster, so he struck. He jumped into a backflip, kicking the gun out of the cop's hand and caught it. While he did this, X brought his foot up and kicked the cop against his car. He hit his head and was knocked out.  
  
"Officer Harris, what was that?" The radio questioned. "Officer Harris, come in!"  
  
"There'll be more." Shadow said.  
  
"Then let's make this quick." X finished. They went inside the apartment and went through the security door with the key Siren gave them. They ascended to floor six and found apartment fourteen A. X knocked.  
  
After a moment, the door opened and Pyro shot his fist out, stopping an inch before X's face.  
  
"Well, it's nice to see you're feeling well." He said, looking cross- eyed at the fist.  
  
"Sorry." Pyro withdrew. "I thought you were someone else."  
  
"Wouldn't happen to be an off-duty cop, would it?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
  
"He was describing you to his radio. We knocked him out for you."  
  
"So come on." X said. "There'll be more."  
  
Pyro hesitated. "Hang on." He shut the door. X and Shadow looked at each other. What was he doing?  
  
Pyro turned to Veronica with a heavy sigh. "I don't want to leave you to Scott's bidding."  
  
"Don't worry about me." Veronica said with a small, fake smile.  
  
Pyro thought long and hard, then grabbed a piece of paper and wrote two numbers on it, then handed it to her. "These are numbers where you can reach me should things get too intense . . .or if you just need a friend." He gave a small smile. Veronica's smile became real.  
  
"Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him. It was good to be around a man who wouldn't try to dominate her.  
  
Pyro nodded. "Farewell." And he left.  
  
"What were you doing?" X asked. Neovision had been activated.  
  
"Nothing." Pyro lied. "Let's go."  
  
X still wondered about the paper he'd given her. He hadn't seen the writing, due to the angle and couldn't know what they were saying. Spoken words aren't inscribed in code.  
  
"One floor up." Hero told Shadow over the phone. "First door on the left once you go up the stairs."  
  
The three of them ascended the stairs and turned to the door.  
  
"GET DOWN!!" X exclaimed suddenly. They all dove from the door just in time as it exploded in a flurry of bullets. The opposite wall was shredded along with the door as the automatic weapons inside continued to fire. Shadow and X each pulled out an automatic handgun.  
  
"Got a spare?" Pyro asked.  
  
"What?!" X replied.  
  
"She took my guns."  
  
"Geez." He tossed him a gun.  
  
"What do you see?" Shadow shouted over the bullets.  
  
"About five programs." Finally, the bullet rain stopped. They all knelt down; guns up, ready to fire once the programs came out.  
  
Then, the firing started again, but no bullets came through the door. At first, it was just one gun, but several others quickly joined it. The shooting was all going on inside.  
  
"What now?" Pyro asked.  
  
X looked. "They're all just shooting around at . . .something. Programs are dropping. Three down . . .four . . .they're all dead, but someone else is in there."  
  
Pyro, tired of waiting, spun around the corner, gun aimed. He was truly surprised.  
  
"Nobody here."  
  
"Well, it would seem that way." X said with a small smile. "She's a spy."  
  
"She?" Shadow's eyes shot open.  
  
"Who?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Shade." X chuckled. Shade deactivated her cloaking field, revealing herself.  
  
"Oh." Pyro said, lowering his weapon. "Hi there."  
  
"Hey." She replied. "You must be Pyro."  
  
"I am."  
  
"Pyro," Shadow said, "This is Shade. We fought with her crew last night. The Beta Neb."  
  
"Ah." Pyro nodded.  
  
"So where'd you come from, anyway?" X asked, turning his shades off.  
  
"I've been following you." Shade casually explained. "Morpheus gave the Genesis a call to see if you guys had found Pyro. They explained the situation and Morpheus thought I should follow in secret."  
  
"Good thing." Shadow said. "Thank you."  
  
Brriiingg. Pyro opened his phone. "Pyro."  
  
"You guys alright?" Hero clarified.  
  
"Yeah, a bunch of programs popped outta nowhere and attacked us." He looked around. "They sure tore everything up."  
  
"Including the phone." Hero sighed. "Don't worry. I have another exit. It's a little ways away, but you should be able to make it." He told him where it was, Pyro explained it to the rest, and they were off. They had to jump buildings in order to avoid the police, which were coming in large amounts. Then, they headed for a nearby parking garage in order to steal a ride.  
  
Riley paced back and forth, uneasy.  
  
"What do you think, Sir?" Hero asked.  
  
"I don't know." He replied. "There are several things I don't like." He rubbed his chin. "Keep your eyes on them. We'll talk to them once they get back on the ship."  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Things finally starting to get a little interesting. What did you all think? Please review. 


	4. XFactorPart One

Chapter Four: X-Factor-Part 1  
  
"Hey, X." Shadow whispered to him, stepping back a tad as they walked.  
  
"Yeah?" He whispered back.  
  
"You can hotwire a car, right?"  
  
X had to chuckle. "After tons of computer hacking, car hotwiring is like adding one and two."  
  
"Okay. I think we should take two cars."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If we're all caught together, it's all over. Two cars means two targets."  
  
"I see."  
  
"You and Pyro take one and Shade and I will take another."  
  
X nodded, fully understanding. Shadow told Shade and they went off.  
  
"Where are they going?" Pyro asked as X started working on another car.  
  
"Shadow's idea. We're splitting up in order to make it harder to catch us all. They're taking one car, we're taking this one." The engine revved and they got in.  
  
"You know he just wants to spend some alone time with Shade, don't you?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"And you still let him go?"  
  
"Could I really stop him?"  
  
Pyro sighed. "Whatever. Follow 'em."  
  
They began driving.  
  
"So what happened?" X asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"In the apartment. Apparently you ticked off a cop."  
  
Pyro leaned back in his seat. "Her boyfriend had problems with me."  
  
"Whose boyfriend?"  
  
"Veronica's."  
  
"The girl who took you in?"  
  
Pyro nodded.  
  
"So her boyfriend didn't like you? I guess I can see why, but that's no reason to call for backup police."  
  
"That guy had problems period. He was one of those dominant boyfriend types. One thing lead to another, and before I knew it, he hit her. I told him to stop, but he turned on me."  
  
"Did you hurt him?"  
  
"Only a little." Pyro smiled. It soon vanished. "It was weird . . ."  
  
"What was?"  
  
"When Veronica first came in, she acted pretty tough. She showed no fear to the stranger she let in her home, much less anything else. She's a tai-kwon doe red belt."  
  
"Tai-kwon doe? Hey, weren't you a black belt?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Huh. Quite a coincidence."  
  
"Maybe. Anyway, she seemed like she was alright. But as soon as Scott- her boyfriend-came in, she changed."  
  
"Changed?"  
  
"She wasn't fearless anymore. She was suddenly very afraid. Some of the stuff Scott did she didn't seem to really like, but she did nothing. All in all, she basically let him dominate her."  
  
X didn't know what to say.  
  
"That guy just made me angrier and angrier as the seconds passed. It was like everything he did was wrong."  
  
"You pitied her?" X hit the spot.  
  
"I guess. I wanted to help her, but she tries to handle it herself."  
  
X shook his head. "Women." They both chuckled.  
  
"Anyway, how did you guys find me?" Pyro wondered.  
  
X had to smile. "We just followed the hot chick . . .which was a very easy task." He reminisced on the deep kiss she'd given him.  
  
"So just how long were you following us?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Morpheus made the call and told me to follow you three. It found you as you were leaving the alley with the programs."  
  
"You knew there were programs?"  
  
"I heard X."  
  
"Ah. So why exactly did Morpheus chose you to watch us?"  
  
She shrugged. "I dunno. Probably because watching over someone isn't exactly the most glorious job."  
  
"Well, it could be." Shadow said. "You never know. The people you save now could become heroes. Heck, you could become a hero yourself."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"So let me ask you a question: Were you assigned or did you volunteer?"  
  
Shade's face went red, so she looked at the ground. "That obvious?"  
  
"Nah, just a lucky guess. So why did you volunteer?"  
  
She shrugged. "I dunno." She gave a slight truth. "You guys interest me."  
  
"That so?" Shadow pulled into the lane next to his and ended up going off an exit ramp.  
  
"Where are you going?" Shade asked. "You took the wrong exit!"  
  
"Huh." Shadow smiled. "Look at that."  
  
"What in the world?" Pyro asked, watching Shadow go into the wrong lane and off the highway. X continued on his own course.  
  
"I don't believe this." He sighed. They went on and got to the exit.  
  
Their eyes opened up back in the real world as Riley helped them out.  
  
"Where did Shadow go?"  
  
"We don't know." Pyro had to fight to sit up. "Ah . . ."  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Over twelve hours in the Matrix. Gotta get used to the real thing again."  
  
"I'll call Shadow." Hero said.  
  
"Why did you two take two cars in the first place?" Riley wanted to know.  
  
X shrugged. "Shadow's idea. He thought it would be more practical if we weren't in the same place, should an attack come."  
  
"My foot he did." Riley snorted.  
  
BBRRIIINNGG!!  
  
"Yello." Shadow said.  
  
"Where are you going?!" Hero demanded.  
  
"My mistake. Wrong turn. I'll try to find a way back."  
  
"Hurry up. X and Pyro are already here!" Click.  
  
"He sounded ticked." Shade noted.  
  
"Yeah, I'll probably get canned for this, unless they buy my story."  
  
"Then why did you do it?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Take the wrong turn?"  
  
He shrugged. "I dunno."  
  
"Sure." Shade rolled her eyes. "So are you actually going to look for a way back?"  
  
He hesitated. "Soon enough . . .so how's your life?"  
  
She had to laugh. "Changing the subject so easily?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Well . . .a little hectic, but whatever. It's okay. Yours?"  
  
"Lotta fun, I'll give it that." He admitted. "You get to do a lotta cool stuff . . .course, there are downsides."  
  
"Of course." Shade agreed. "I mean, your life is constantly in danger."  
  
"Oh, that's nothing." Shadow said.  
  
"Then what kind of downsides did you mean?"  
  
"Well . . .the real world is a lot less convenient than the Matrix life was. Plus, you have to be stuck on a ship for who knows how long?" He made his move. "Kinda lonely."  
  
"You've got the other guys there." Shade pointed out. She hadn't taken the bait.  
  
"Well, yeah, but . . .um . . .well, you see, I mean . . ." Huh. This was more difficult than he thought. "Shade, what I'm trying to say is . . ." Brrriiingg!! "Dang it!" He hissed. "I'm looking for a place to turn around, alright?!"  
  
"Left! To your left!" Hero shouted.  
  
"The next turn?"  
  
"NO!! Directly left!!" Shadow looked. His eyes widened.  
  
"SHOOT!!" He slammed the brakes and cars around him swerved, as did his car. Bullets flew from the automatic weapon in the car that had been next to theirs. They hit their brakes. "Duck!" He told Shade. They both did so and Shadow gunned it. Bullets shattered the windows, but they received only a few scratches, miraculously. Shadow turned down the next road, which only had two lanes, so their enemies would have to get behind them, which bought them some time.  
  
"Hero, what now?" Shadow spoke into the phone.  
  
"Keep driving! Just get the heck outta there!"  
  
Shade's dialed. "Link! Can you find an exit Shadow and I can use?"  
  
"I'm working on it!" He responded. "But, Shade, it doesn't seem like- "  
  
B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b!! Bullets flew again. Shade hung up and returned fire.  
  
"I don't believe this." Riley hissed as he paced.  
  
"C'mon, man!" Pyro told Hero. "Find something!"  
  
"I'm trying, okay?! I can't just make an exit appear! I have to find a place they can get to-and alive! Plus, Shade has to use her own exit. It's a lot more difficult than you're making it out to be!"  
  
"Then stop jabbering at me and work!"  
  
X bit his lower lip, his hand wrapping around the flash drive hanging around his neck.  
  
Shade ran out of ammo soon enough. "Shoot!" She shouted. "Get us outta here!"  
  
"I'm trying!" Shadow swerved yet again. He was going around, taking random turns to keep the programs off his butt.  
  
"Oh, no." Hero's eyes widened.  
  
"What?!" Riley demanded, moving to the screens.  
  
"Captain, look." He pointed to a spot.  
  
"Oh, God."  
  
"Oh my God!!" Shade exclaimed, looking out the window.  
  
"What?!" Shadow demanded.  
  
"We have to get out!"  
  
"What?! Why!?"  
  
"Now! Go!!"  
  
Shadow slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to an awkward stop almost on the sidewalk. Shadow and Shade both jumped out of the car.  
  
The program launched the missile from the sunroof of the car, which flew right into the vehicle Shade and Shadow had been in a second earlier.  
  
The two of them flew from the impact. Shade was tossed onto the concrete in front of a building. Shadow was tossed into the street. The programs saw Shade first. The one from the sunroof started firing as she ran. Shadow pulled out a 9mm and began firing. The program turned and fired at him instead. Shadow turned on his cloak and ran back across the street.  
  
"You have to get them out of there now!" Pyro shouted almost in Hero's ear.  
Hero hesitated.  
  
"Why are you stopping?!" He demanded. "Get them an exit!"  
  
"I can't . . ." Hero said. "There's nothing I can do . . ."  
  
Shadow and Shade met up again and Shadow turned off his cloak, seeing it was only useful for the element of surprise, which he'd already used up. They ran down an alley, where the car couldn't chase them, but the programs followed.  
  
They kept running. They were fast, but the programs had split up and covered the alleys. Shadow and Shade kept running into them. Shadow shot at them, but his ammo quickly ran low. They were running out of options and time.  
  
Finally, they hit a dead end. They skidded to a stop.  
  
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Shadow exclaimed. He spun around as the programs came around the corners and headed for them. Shadow fired his last three bullets and the programs ducked back. When he ran out, Shadow dropped his weapon and could only watch as the programs came back out with cocky grins on their faces. They came up slowly, strutting a little. This was their moment.  
  
Shadow breathed heavily. "So . . ." He said. "This is it."  
  
"Looks like it." Shade replied, also staring at her foes.  
  
"This bites." Shadow said with no humor. "This really bites."  
  
Suddenly, he felt a hand take his. He looked over at Shade.  
  
"At least you're not alone." She pointed out. A sense of relief filled Shadow and he actually smiled a little, then looked back at the programs who spelled his doom.  
  
"Can't you do anything?" Pyro asked weakly and desperately.  
  
Hero shook his head. "Nothing . . .they're on their own." He looked down.  
  
Riley sighed and also looked at the floor.  
  
Pyro shook his head in disbelief and turned away, shouting in anger.  
  
X stared at the screen, reading the situation over and over. There was nothing Shadow, Shade, or Hero could do now.  
  
But . . .  
  
"Hero, move." X ordered. He looked up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"MOVE!!" He shoved Hero from the Operator's chair and sat in it.  
  
"What are you doing?" Pyro asked him.  
  
"Shut up!!" He yanked off the flash drive and plugged it into the computer. He began working at the keyboard, pounding like a madman.  
  
"Is that . . .?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Yep." X answered, not taking his eyes off the screen. "That's my baby."  
  
The programs took aim, each wanting a piece of the action. Shadow and Shade stood, defiant, unafraid of death.  
  
"Alright." X said. "Say hello to my little friend." He gave one command:  
DELETE  
  
A program twitched suddenly. The others looked at it. It twitched again and then cried out. Its eyes glowed a deep crimson red as its body seemed to strain. With a scream, the program burst, sending nothing but tiny fragments of code scattering everywhere.  
  
The other four programs looked at each other. Then, another program twitched. The same happened. Its eyes glowed and it wailed as it burst. The other three grew afraid.  
  
"KILL THEM NOW!!" One shouted.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" X said.  
  
A program twitched and its eyes glowed red, but instead of bursting, it turned on the other two programs and fired a barrage of bullets from its automatic weapon, screaming as it did so. The programs fell, then the other one twitched once more and let out another cry as it too was deleted.  
  
Shadow and Shade looked at each other in disbelief.  
  
Riley, Hero, and Pyro were speechless.  
  
"It really works." Pyro whispered.  
  
"What . . .was . . .THAT?!" Riley demanded.  
  
"Can't talk." X said. He worked a little more.  
  
"Hero, gimme that." X took the Operator's headset and dialed.  
  
"Operator."  
  
"Link. This is X from the Genesis. You watching?"  
  
"Yeah! What happened?!"  
  
"Can't say right now. Get ready. I'm making an exit. Get Shade outta there once I do."  
  
Brriiinngg!!  
  
Shade answered. "Y-yeah?" Her voice was shaky. "Where?"  
  
Brriiinngg!! Both heads spun and beheld a payphone just ten feet from them.  
"Link, that phone wasn't there before!"  
  
"Yeah, I know." He replied. "X said he was gonna make an exit, but I didn't know he mean MAKE an exit! Whatever, just take it!"  
  
Shade hung up and picked up the phone. Her body disappeared as she jacked out.  
  
Shadow slowly hung up the phone, staring at it. It ran again. He answered and was gone. No one saw, but once Shadow had exited the Matrix, the phone vanished without a trace.  
  
Shadow's eyes opened. His body was sweating greatly.  
  
"You okay?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Yeah . . ."  
  
"Then let me ask WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BACK THERE?!"  
  
Shadow didn't argue. It was all his fault. If he hadn't dawdled with Shade, they'd have been able to escape.  
  
"You almost got yourself killed!! And Shade too! You're lucky X was able to wave a miracle at you and get your sorry butt outta there! What was going on in your head?!"  
  
Shadow didn't give an answer because he didn't have one. Riley clenched his jaw. "But you're still new at this...so I'm only giving you a three-day suspension from the Matrix."  
  
"Fair enough." Shadow said. "I'm sorry." There was silence.  
  
Brriiinngg!!  
  
"Genesis." X said, seeing as he still had the headset on.  
  
"X!" Link said. "What happened? First, the programs go haywire, then a phone pops up out of nowhere, what did you do?"  
  
"I'm afraid that's strictly confidential." X replied.  
  
"Confidential?! You fried five programs without entering the Matrix!"  
  
"That's only a smidgen of my ability, Link, but I can't go into detail, I'm afraid. You're just going to have to trust me."  
  
Link sighed. "Whatever, X. Shade says thanks. Later." They both hung up.  
  
"Confidential, eh?" Riley asked.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Then as your captain, I order you to spill it."  
  
"Alright." He pulled the flash drive out of the computer and held it up. "This baby has more computer power in it than any five ships combined."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I call it the X-virus, respectively. I designed it."  
  
"YOU designed it?" Hero asked, amazed. "I knew you were good, but not THAT good!"  
  
"It's a very powerful bug. I can use it to hack into any system, file, program, you name it. Once I'm in, they're all mine."  
  
"That's how you controlled the third program." Riley noted.  
  
"Yep. Then I deleted him as I did the others."  
  
"Unbelievable!" Hero said in awe.  
  
"So it really works." Pyro said.  
  
"You knew about this?" Riley asked him.  
  
"Yeah, he told Shadow and I about it, but I didn't think he was serious!"  
  
"X, why didn't you tell us about this?"  
  
"I try to save the virus as a last-resort."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I can't depend on it 100%!"  
  
"Hm . . .well, good work, X."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"Hero, what time is it?"  
  
"Uh, almost 8:30 A.M., sir."  
  
"ONLY 8:30?!" Shadow exclaimed.  
  
"And already we've had enough action for a day." Riley sighed. "We'll lay back for now." He walked out of the room. Hero followed.  
  
Pyro, Shadow, and X went to get something to eat.  
  
"Thanks for saving my butt back there." Shadow finally said. It had been awkwardly silent between them for a few minutes.  
  
X didn't know what to say. Pyro finally said it for him.  
  
"What were you thinking, Shadow?! You almost got yourself killed!"  
"I wasn't thinking." He replied. "I know I screwed up, okay?"  
  
"Then why did you do it?"  
  
Shadow hesitated.  
  
"We know it's about Shade, but why put your life on the line?"  
  
"I didn't know I was putting my life on the line."  
  
"But you knew you took the wrong exit." X put in.  
  
"I just . . ." He hesitated. "I . . .wanted to be with her a little longer."  
  
"That is the dumbest excuse I've ever heard." Pyro shook his head.  
  
"I know it was stupid." Shadow sighed, full of regret. "And, again, I'm sorry."  
  
They all got back to eating for a moment.  
  
"So you like this girl, huh?" X asked him.  
  
Shadow nodded. "Yep."  
  
"Just out of curiosity, why?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just kind of attracted to her." He went on. "And you can't just call a girl up these days and ask her out, you know? And I don't get to see her that often, so . . .that's why I lingered. But, c'mon, X, can you honestly tell me you wouldn't do the same with Siren?"  
  
X hesitated. "I don't know."  
  
"Who's Siren?" Pyro asked.  
  
"She's the person who helped us find you. She also saved my butt last night." He smiled. "She's hot . . .REAL hot."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah." He chuckled at the thought of her. Quiet again.  
  
"So," Shadow said. "That X-virus...incredible. Does it have any limits?"  
  
X hesitated. "I don't know."  
  
One week later . . .  
  
It had long-since been assumed that all the rogue programs were being led by someone, especially by how they all worked en masse. But who would they be led by?  
  
To those who'd been on the force for a while, they could only think of one name that could control such a large program force:  
  
The Merovingian.  
  
But they had to be sure. Several people from several ships were going in to a simple sort of stakeout mission. Shadow was going to take the other guys with him. He was a good spy, but he might need backup.  
  
"Guns aren't allowed in the club." Shadow said as he pulled out his only weapon: a 9mm. Their uploads had been different this time. They'd only been given one weapon.  
  
"So why did they give them to us in the first place?" Pyro asked, taking out his.  
  
"Don't want to seem abnormal."  
  
"Okay." Shadow said. "C'mon." The three of them each wore a black cloak over their usual clothes with bandanas covering their heads. They pulled masks up to their mouths as they walked. Four tough programs came up and looked at them. Each of them pulled out a counterfeit pass that Shadow had made for them and showed it to them. The program motioned towards the door with his head. They walked inside and found themselves in another room, where a man took their guns. The trio entered the club.  
  
"We're in." X noted. "What now?"  
  
"Just keep a sharp eye for anything unusual." Shadow said. "Split up." Shadow slid off into the shadows, virtually disappearing. The other two went off.  
  
Shadow loved this job, slurking around silently as the music blasted and people danced all around them. There were many dangerous programs, but Shadow didn't fear them. They couldn't see him.  
  
"Shadow?"  
  
He jumped, then froze. How in the world?! He looked over at someone who took off their mask.  
  
"Shade?!" He exclaimed.  
  
Pyro's eyes were wide and scanning. Nothing out of the ordinary, as strange as this place was. Then . . .  
  
Pyro shot her a double-take as he passed her.  
  
"Veronica?"  
  
She turned. "Who?" He took off his mask. "Pyro?!"  
  
X could barely see in the dim lighting, so he turned on Neovision. Things got a little confusing with a lot of activity going on, but he soon got a grip on himself. His eyes caught something. He turned off Neovision to see it for himself.  
  
"Siren?!"  
  
She turned to him as he took off his mask. "Well, well, if it isn't X!"  
  
Hero shook his head in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED . . .  
  
Author's Note: Women can have dangerous effects on the male mind, turning to much and causing them to deny themselves of reason. How will they be effected now? I'll show you in the next chapter. Until then, please review! 


	5. XFactorPart Two

Chapter Five: X-Factor-Part 2  
  
Shadow was struck with a mixture of feelings. He was always thrilled to see Shade, but then again, the last time he'd been with her, he almost got them both killed.  
  
"Hiya." She said.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" Shadow asked, recollecting how he'd been lurking in the shadows, away from sight.  
  
"Just happened to see you. Who else is that sneaky?" She chuckled, as did he. "So . . .did you get canned?"  
  
"That depends on your usage of 'canned'. I got a three-day suspension."  
  
"Not bad."  
  
"It was only my second time in the real matrix." He explained. There was an awkward silence. "I, uh . . .I should really go." He walked past her. "I . . .I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't worry about it." She said, letting him go. "Please don't." She whispered to herself.  
  
Veronica crossed her arms in disbelief, but smiled as well. "What are the odds of seeing you here?"  
  
"Well . . .this is a pretty popular place!" Pyro said, pathetically.  
  
"What's with the getup?" She asked, indicating his outfit.  
  
"Oh, uh . . .nothing. Just being different." He changed the subject. "So . . .how are you? I mean . . .how's the situation with Scott?"  
  
She looked down. "Nothing unusual."  
  
"Where's Scott now?"  
  
"Around here somewhere." She shrugged.  
  
"You sure you're alright?"  
  
"Pyro, I appreciate your efforts, but . . .this is something I feel I have to deal with on my own, okay?"  
  
"Then do so." He said. "The longer you prolong it, the worse it's going to get."  
  
Veronica just stared at the ground.  
  
Once again, X was overcome by Siren's presence.  
  
"It's, uh . . .good to see you again." He said, nervously.  
  
"Likewise." She said, with a bright, intoxicating smile. "You guys get your friend back?"  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah. He's around here somewhere."  
  
"Good." She said. Her smile became more devious. "Haven't seen you in a week. Missed you." She moved in very close to him.  
  
"Um, I, uh . . .heh." X was at a lost for words.  
  
"C'mon. She said, grabbing his arm. "Dance!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Dance!" She whispered. "Blend in!"  
  
"Uh, I don't think so."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Hey, I know my talents and dancing isn't one."  
  
She laughed. "Come on! It's nothing!" She began her own dancing. X found pleasure in just watching her go, as were the other men around her. They all tried moving close, but Siren wasn't interested. The only person she got ultra close to was X, who was nervous beyond compare.  
  
Finally, she began dancing, well, on him. X just went with it, doing better than he thought he would.  
  
"You're not as bad as you think." Siren said.  
  
"Well . . .you just gotta go with it." He chuckled.  
  
"That's right." She pressed up against him again. Their eyes locked for a moment. X's were filled with uncertainty. Siren's were filled with "intention". "Come with me." She said. She guided him to a wall where not many were standing. Those who were there were getting very intimate. X got curious. Was she really going to . . .?  
  
X found himself with his back to the wall.  
  
Oh, boy. He thought. What now? Siren answered for him. She pressed against him yet again and kissed him deeply. X didn't fight it; he kissed her back, just as deeply. She parted with a smile of approval.  
  
"You're getting the hang of things." She kissed him again, her hands starting to explore him. X had no idea what to do with his own hands, so he just held her.  
  
She parted again and whispered into his ear. "There's a back room behind that door." She motioned with her eyes. He took a quick glance. "I swiped the key to it from one of the programs. Could be some interesting activity going on back there." Her grin widened and turned devilish. "Or about to."  
  
X caught the hint.  
  
"C'mon. Let's go find out."  
  
"Wait, uh . . .I . . .I don't know, Siren. I mean . . ."  
  
"Aw, c'mon." She said, stroking his face. X was still a little hesitant. She whispered into his ear. "It'll be our little secret." She moved her hand down.  
  
X's eyes shot open as Siren's brows raised.  
  
"Or not so little." She chuckled. X wasn't resisting anymore. Siren took his arm and guided him to the door. They both put their masks on as they walked past the guards standing by the door. Siren inserted the key and twisted the knob. They walked inside and closed the door behind them.  
  
It was a small, dimly lit bedroom.  
  
"A bed." X noted. "How did I-" Before he could finish, Siren shoved him onto it. He rolled over and she jumped on him, catching his lips in a deep, passionate kiss. X returned the favor. They each let their hands do a little exploring as the kiss continued. X had to finally part the kiss in order to breathe again.  
  
"You're, uh . . .very good." That's all he knew to say.  
  
She kept her smile. "You've never done this before, have you?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"You haven't seen anything yet."  
  
X liked this idea. They kissed again.  
  
Suddenly, the door flung open and two men with guns came in the door. Siren and X froze.  
  
"Ooh, this is hot." One said. The other just laughed.  
  
Siren groaned. "I thought the deal was that I'd have my way with him and THEN you take him!"  
  
X shot her a look. "Deal?!"  
  
"You'll get your chance later." The second goon said. "The boss wants him taken now."  
  
"Siren, what's going on?" X asked her. She looked back at him.  
  
"Sorry, X." She kissed him. "You really were cute." She grabbed his collar and picked him up.  
  
Brriiinnng!!  
  
Pyro pulled out his phone. "Pyro."  
  
"X found Siren." Hero said.  
  
"The really hot chick he talked about?"  
  
"The same. Siren started getting' real freaky with him, then she took him out the back door."  
  
Pyro sighed. "I guess Shadow isn't the only sucker for a girl. I'll go get him."  
  
"You can't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because he's not there. Siren opened the door and when they went through, they disappeared!"  
  
Pyro froze. "What do you mean they disappeared?"  
  
"I mean they vanished without a trace! I tried calling X, but got nothing. I'm gonna do a search. Find Shadow. He's about fifty feet for your left."  
  
Pyro hung up and went over to him. "Aw, great." He said, seeing him with Shade.  
  
He spun around. "Heya." He said, nervously.  
  
Pyro rolled his eyes. "Look, X is gone."  
  
"What do you mean gone?" Pyro explained the situation, then his phone rang.  
  
"Did you find him?" Pyro asked.  
  
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I found him."  
  
"And the bad news?"  
  
"He's in a mountain chateau hundreds of miles away."  
  
"What in the world . . .?" X said, amazed. Siren and the two goons had led him through the same two doors that he'd come in through, but he was not in the club. He was in a large mansion-like place. "This isn't the club! How did I get here?!"  
  
"Nothing is as it seems here." One of the goons said. "So even if you happen to break free of us, don't plan on escaping."  
  
"And you won't be needing this." Siren reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone and threw it onto the ground, shattering it. "No reception up here anyway."  
  
X's eyes narrowed. "So it was all a trick."  
  
Suddenly, one of the programs bashed the back of his head with his gun. "Shut up!" The impact knocked X to the ground.  
  
Siren whipped around, kicked the gun out of his hand, caught it, and pointed it at his head. "Another mark on him will cost your existence." She said with a fierce glare. "He is to be 'unspoiled'." She stood X up, who rubbed the back of his head. "Come on." She pushed him forward. The program goons looked at each other with disgust.  
  
Pyro and Shadow jacked out shortly after they heard of X's disappearance. They weren't liking the new information they were given.  
  
"The mountain chateau in which X is being held," Riley said. "Is the home of the Merovingian."  
  
"So getting him back will be quite a chore." Hero said.  
  
"Wee." Shadow said, rolling his eyes. "So he's being held there?"  
  
"Siren and two others are taking him somewhere. We're keeping track of them, but we don't know what's going on."  
  
"We have to get him." Pyro said.  
  
Riley shook his head. "It's not that simple."  
  
"We can do it!" Shadow protested. "I'm the best spy, so I can get us in and Pyro's the powerhouse, so if we do hit trouble, we can handle it."  
  
"I'm afraid not." Riley said. "First of all, they have virtually unlimited manpower while there are only two of you. Second, they have a virtually unlimited arsenal. Third, if but one program escapes your grasp, everyone in the world will be all over you in seconds. Fourth, they could use X as a hostage. And finally, The Merovingian's chateau is unbelievably complicated. Nowhere leads where it should and everywhere goes right where you don't want to go. You can't trust any door in that place; you don't know where you'll end up. The only way to get anywhere quickly is to have the right keys to those doors, which we do not have."  
  
"So what else can we do?" Pyro asked, troubled.  
  
"We can talk about this later!" Hero suddenly said, looking at a computer screen. "We've got Sentinels coming in fast!"  
  
X was seriously confused. The architecture of this building was totally warped. At one point, one of the program goons closed two double doors, twisted a key, and opened them again. The next room was completely different. It was a very large dining hall with a long table. X only saw two people at the end, but couldn't tell who.  
  
"Well, well." A French voice said, amused. "Monsieur X. Welcome." The programs brought him up towards the head of the table. At the head was a French man with a cool smile on his face. In the seat next to his, there was an attractive brunette whom X could only guess was his wife. "Come!" The French man said. "Sit!"  
  
X looked at the programs, then sat down across from the woman. Siren sat next to him and the other two took their place behind the man.  
  
The French Man held his wine glass to his lips. "I am sure you have many, many questions. Go on, speak!"  
  
X looked at Siren, who nodded, then back at the man. "I've never seen you in my life, but from the stories I've heard, I can make a guess. You're the Merovingian."  
  
"Indeed I am." He sipped his wine again. "And this is my wife, Persephone." She remained silent.  
  
"And all these guys work for you."  
  
"Zeese two men, yes, but Siren? No, not officially."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Not quite. You see, she's a bit of a loner, wandering from position to position . . .in more ways than one." He gave a low, closed-mouth chuckle. "We hired her for her 'special talents'."  
  
"What talents?"  
  
"Tell me, X, where have you heard of the name 'Siren'? Surely you remember. Maybe something from your studies as a schoolboy? Hmm?"  
  
X thought for a minute, then mentally punched himself. "Yeah. I remember."  
  
"Enlighten me."  
  
X hesitated, then sighed. "They were Greek myths. Their beautiful songs lured men to them, only to be killed."  
  
"So then, you can guess where your girlfriend gets her name."  
  
"I can speculate."  
  
"It's a very special programming. We found it very useful."  
  
"Programming?" X looked at her.  
  
"Oh, I am so sorry. You thought she was a human, didn't you?" He chuckled again. "Can a simple human do all of ze things that she has done? No, I do not think so."  
  
X was still in disbelief. "But she read like a human in the code."  
  
"Yes, zat is another interesting part of her programming. Fooled you, did it not?"  
  
"How did it happen?"  
  
"We do not know, but we are intrigued."  
  
X got back on subject. "So you hired her to lure me in."  
  
"We did."  
  
"But why? What do you want with me?"  
  
"That question will be answered in due time."  
  
Just then, two doors opposite of X opened up and someone walked in. He was a tall man with a fancy suit tux. He also wore a top hat, but had no hair underneath. In his hand was a fancy rich-man cane. He looked young enough that he didn't need it, so X guessed it was just for show. Two men accompanied him, each with a suitcase.  
  
"Ah," The Merovingian said. "Monsieur Giovanni. Your timing is perfect."  
  
X secretly switched on Neovision, getting a good look at the guy. He read like a human, but X didn't trust that anymore.  
  
Giovanni tipped his hat to the crowd, acting like a true gentleman.  
  
"You already know my wife." The Merovingian said. "This is Siren, to whom you owe your gratitude, and this intelligent young man is the one you wish to see."  
  
X was confused. Me? He wondered.  
  
Giovanni looked him over. "What's your name, son?" He asked in a regal voice.  
  
"X." He said, seeing no use in lying or stalling.  
  
"So you made good on your end of the bargain." Giovanni said to the Merovingian.  
  
"And I assume you have done the same?" The Merovingian asked him.  
He nodded and snapped his fingers. One of the guards brought his suitcase forward and opened it, revealing dozens of vials containing a strange, green liquid.  
  
"Good. Good. Alright." The Merovingian's guards took the suitcases. He said to Giovanni, "You may take your bounty."  
  
"Just a minute." Siren said, suddenly. "Aren't you forgetting MY end?"  
  
"Ah, almost, my dear, almost. So sorry." He turned back. "Monsieur Giovanni, I hope you do not mind waiting a moment, I have one more payoff to make."  
  
He looked at her. "Make it quick."  
  
"No guarantees with this one." She said, taking X and standing him up.  
  
"Now what?" He asked. She moved him along, accompanied by one of the Merovingian's guards.  
  
Meanwhile, the remainder of the Genesis crew was getting ready for battle.  
  
"Can we use the EMP?" Pyro asked.  
  
"No." Riley said. "Not while X's still plugged in.  
  
"So I'm guessing we get back to the guns, huh?" Shadow guessed.  
  
"You bet. Go!" The two of them ran back to the weapons station. Riley ran up to the cockpit and started up the ship.. Hero stayed by X with an EMP gun just in case.  
  
Pyro and Shadow sat down and strapped in.  
  
"You're good with guns, right?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Better when they're right there in my hands, but this'll do. You're a good aim, right?"  
  
"The best."  
  
"Alright. Let's do this." They charged up the weapons and waited. But what happened surprised them. The Sentinels zoomed around the corner, but once they saw the ship, the slowed to a stop. Once the ship started going, they followed it, just going fast enough to keep up, not trying to overcome the ship.  
  
"What are they doing?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Hey, Cap'n." Pyro said over the intercom. "They're not doing anything. They just stopped."  
  
"Maybe they're scared of the EMP." Shadow put in.  
  
Riley was seeing it too on his screen. What were they doing?  
  
One of the Sentinels stopped chasing and opened up the little satellites on its tentacles.  
  
Riley's screen flashed a message: Incoming Transmission. A thought crossed his mind. He received the transmission. It was encrypted in a very strange dialect that very few humans understood. Only the captains of each ship and a few individuals in Zion understood the message.  
  
"Pyro, Shadow. Guns down." He ordered. Then, he slowed the ship to a stop. Walking back, he met up again with the cadets.  
  
"What's going on?" Shadow asked, ready to run back to the guns at any second.  
  
"They're on our side."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you."  
  
"Everything revolves around death." Shadow sighed.  
  
Riley opened the main hatch. The ramp lowered and he stepped out. The small sentinel group just hovered around, except for one, who floated down to Riley and supported itself on its tentacles. Two of its red eyes glowed brightly and projected a screen. It looked like a computer screen with a blinking line, like it was waiting for something to write. A sentence appeared on the screen.  
  
"Is this the Genesis?" It read.  
  
"It is." Riley said. "I am Captain Riley. What do you wish of us?"  
  
The machine "typed" again. "Seven days ago, something happened in the Matrix. Five programs were hunting one of your men when two were spontaneously deleted. One more turned on the other two, then was also deleted. We are here to investigate the matter."  
  
"I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot I can tell you. The person who did it all is in the Matrix right now and we can't get him out anytime soon."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Riley explained the situation. The sentinel opened its satellites again, conferring with its comrades, then closed them and typed.  
  
"Perhaps we can help."  
  
"This is the sickest foreplay I've ever heard of." X said. He was in a chair in a private room, his hands tied behind his back and his legs to the chair legs.  
  
"Don't want you running off on me." She said.  
  
"So this is it? You do the work and in return, you get to have sex with your victim?"  
  
"Not always. Sometimes payment comes in other forms. This is just a benefit; a side-order, if you will."  
  
X nodded. "You really are a whore."  
  
She shrugged. "It's part of my programming." She sat on his lap and kissed him deeply. When she started sliding off his jacket, he asked a question that had been bugging him.  
  
"So how did you do it?"  
  
"Do what?" She tossed the coat away.  
  
"Make your programming appear in code as a human would."  
  
"I don't know." She said. "It's just how I am." She began taking off the utility belts making an X on his chest, then worked on the one around his waist.  
  
Shadow took a breath to regain composure. "So you were fashioned to be the ultimate harlot. Why?"  
  
"It's subtle." She said.  
  
"Ah, of course. You silently lure men to their deaths, one by one."  
  
She got close to his face with a dark smile. "Not just men."  
  
X's eyes widened. "Oh . . .you've . . .been with women too?"  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
"Oh . . .well, uh . . .wow. How, uh . . .how do you get her to . . ."  
  
"Do what I want?"  
  
"That's a good phrase for it."  
  
"Just like I do with the men. My programming interferes with theirs, forcing them to like me . . .to want me."  
  
"But how do you seduce humans?"  
  
"I just told you. When a human is plugged into the Matrix, their minds basically become part of the computer. I hack in and do my bidding."  
  
"You convince them to sleep with you and hand them over to whomever is currently employing you."  
  
"I don't always sleep with them. Just the ones I find especially intriguing." She slid her hands slowly up his chest.  
  
"I, uh . . .ahem . . .I'm flattered." X stammered.  
  
She removed his shades. "I like your eyes." She said.  
  
He tried looking away, but couldn't bring himself to. Especially once she removed her shirt.  
  
"Ay." He said quietly. She pressed "herself" against his chest and kissed him again. X began frantically searching for something to distract her.  
  
"So . . .why me?"  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked him, while sliding her hands up his shirt.  
  
"Why . . .why . . ."  
  
"Did I chose you?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but . . .why does . . .Giovanni want me?"  
  
"Don't know." She said. She teased his earlobe with her tongue. "I get a job, I do the work. I don't care what he wants with you. All I know is he wanted you 'unspoiled' . . .and so did I."  
  
"I see."  
  
"And as to why I chose you to have some fun with, well, you intrigue me."  
  
She started on his trousers.  
  
X's mouth barely worked anymore, but he spat it out finally. "What . . .what do you mean?"  
  
She sat up and gave him a look. "Do you always insist on asking numerous questions when someone is trying to have sex with you?"  
  
X shrugged. "I don't know. This hasn't happened to me before."  
  
"Ah, yes." She said. "A virgin. Hm . . .haven't had one of those in a very long time. This'll be interesting." She moved in, but X turned his head.  
  
"Answer me." He said.  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know." She lifted his shirt off his head and just let it hang around his bound wrists. "You just interest me." She stroked his bare chest, then did away with her own pants, then sat back down.  
  
"Ooh, a little excited, are we?" She chuckled.  
  
X gulped. "How so?"  
  
"How so? Your cock is banging against me like a hammer!"  
  
"I meant...how do I interest you." X wheezed, barely able to utter the words.  
  
She stroked him. "Well, this sucker is certainly helping." X nearly lost it. "And you're different from every other guy."  
  
"Again, how-wow." Her chest was completely bare now.  
  
"With any other victim, right now, we'd already be at the good part. But you're a strange one. Even now, you're resisting."  
  
"So . . ." Her touch had nearly submitted him. "So . . .I'm different because . . .because I resist?"  
  
"Yes. It's incredible; I've never encountered a human as difficult to tackle as you. Every other guy would have succumbed within the seconds of our first encounter, but you always fought your lust...ironically enough, it's quite a turn-on."  
  
"Well . . .I, uh . . ."  
  
Siren put her hand on his mouth gently. "Shh. No more talk. Let's have some fun."  
  
X could stall no longer. Siren kissed him once more, her tongue darting around in X's mouth. His mind and body finally caved in an accepted her. She moaned in approval when he wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her back.  
  
Then she realized something. She parted the kiss.  
  
"Your hands were bound!"  
  
"Were." X confirmed. He headbutted her, knocking her onto her back. Before she could get up, or make any comments on her position, X acted. He hurled his body forward, catching himself on one hand and spun his lower body around backwards, smashing the legs of the chair into Siren's face. With the char legs gone, X's ropes were lose and he got free.  
  
X looked at the tiny knife which he'd pulled from the black cuff on his wrist and smiled, then looked at Siren's unconscious form. "Sorry, babe. I'm abstinent." He buttoned his pants again and went for the rest of his clothes.  
  
Suddenly, the door burst open and X spun around. A man wearing a tux and shades was in the doorway with a gun in his hand. He looked at X for a second, then pushed the device in his ear.  
  
"Found him." He said. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Uh . . .yeah."  
  
"Come with me."  
  
X grabbed his clothes and left. He put his shirt back on and looked down the hall.  
  
"X!" A voice behind him shouted. He turned and saw Pyro and Shadow, both with guns.  
  
"You alright?" Pyro asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." X began clipping back on the many belts.  
  
The other guys looked at each other, then Shadow had to ask.  
  
"What were you doing in there?"  
  
X let out a heavy sigh. "Siren's a program whore."  
  
"Ah." Pyro said with a nod.  
  
"So . . ." Shadow continued. "Did you guys . . you know?"  
  
"What? Have sex? Screw each other? Fool around? Get down and dirty? Ride the stallion? Go buck-wild?"  
  
". . .yeah."  
  
"Nah."  
  
"So casual." Pyro noticed.  
  
X held his finger and thumb less than a centimeter apart. "We were that close. I'm trying not to flip out."  
  
"We should go." The tuxedo man said. He was now accompanied by four others with the same outfit. They almost all look exactly alike."  
  
"Agents?" X said.  
  
"Yeah." Pyro said. "We met up with some sentinels in the real world. They helped us out."  
  
"Come." One of the agents said. The eight of them left.  
  
They soon came upon the Merovingian's Great Hall. On either side were stairs leading down to the wide, lower floor. On the left and right walls, connecting behind them was a large array of weapons.  
  
They were going down the stairs when the double doors on the other end of the hall burst open. The Merovingian came in with a furious look. Giovanni was right behind him. Each had two program bodyguards.  
  
"What is this?!" The Merovingian demanded. The Agents pointed their weapons. The Merovingian got a good look at the situation. "Agents." He hissed. There was a tense silence as the bodyguards got ready to fight.  
  
Finally, the Merovingian spoke. "Alright." He said. "You win this one." He turned and left, followed by the bodyguards. But Giovanni stood firm.  
  
"Monsieur Giovanni!" The Merovingian beckoned.  
  
"You can run if you want, you coward," Giovanni said without taking his eyes off the scene, "But I will not."  
  
The Merovingian looked at the agents, then back at Giovanni. "You are a fool!" He left the room, taking both sets of bodyguards with him, and closed the door.  
  
The Agents kept their gaze on their opponent.  
  
Giovanni looked up at X. "So, you escaped." He was eerily calm. "Mm. I should have anticipated that, but Siren was a little convincing, don't you think?"  
  
"What do you want with me?" X asked him.  
  
"That's for me to know and you to discover."  
  
"You're the guy who arranged for X's capture?" Pyro asked him.  
  
Giovanni nodded. "I am."  
  
"Shoot him."  
  
Everyone with a gun complied. They fired round after round at his body, but were amazed at what happened.  
  
Giovanni's body shifted and moved about while still seeming to stay in place. In his odd movements, all bullets missed him. He shifted back together when the firing stopped with barely a wrinkle in his suit.  
  
The agents looked at each other. "He moves like we do." One said.  
  
"Five still outnumbers one." Another said. All five agents put their guns away and jumped at him.  
  
Giovanni acted fast. He held his cane with one hand and with the other, whipped out the thin sword inside. With one wide, powerful slash, he cut through all of them. Five random human bodies hit the floor, no longer looking like agents.  
  
Pyro, Shadow, and X looked at each other for a second.  
  
"Nice friend you've made, X." Pyro snorted. They got ready to fight.  
  
Author's Note: X barely got out with his virginity, but now he's up against a foe who can kill Agents with ease! And he still has so many unanswered questions. The trio is running for their lives and Giovanni is right behind them. The outcome will be revealed in the next chapter, which won't be up for a little while because I'm going on vacation. Adios until then! Review, please. Thank you! 


	6. XFactorPart Three

Chapter Six: X-Factor-Part 3

"Alright." Giovanni said. "You have two options: A: X, you surrender and come willingly with me. B: I kill your friends and drag you away."

"How about C? We beat the bejesus outta you and leave."

Giovanni chuckled. "I'm afraid option C is not applicable. But you humans always are defiant. Very well, then." He brandished his sword. "Come on."

Pyro looked around and found a sword right above him. He jumped up, grabbed it, and waved it. Shadow picked up two short twin blades and spun them in his hands. X found a long pole and spun it.

Giovanni shook his head. "Sad." All three jumped at him, but not into him, for they didn't want to make the same mistake the agents did. Shadow struck first and Giovanni blocked. Shadow tried swinging the other blade to stab him, but he slipped away and bashed his head with the back of his hand and swung a foot up to kick away X's pole. Pyro's blade struck Giovanni's, but bounced off it. Giovanni swung his foot around, catching Pyro's jaw.

X planted the pole and kicked Giovanni, who again blocked, then jumped to a spinning kick, knocking him to the ground. Shadow gave an unblockable spinning slash with both blades. Giovanni jumped back and kicked one hand away, only to be met with the other. He evaded again and blocked Pyro's sword as well. He bent back to avoid Shadow's blades again and X swung his pole under him, knocking his legs away.

Giovanni caught himself with his hand and flipped backwards, then continued to another backflip, kicking Pyro in the jaw and into Shadow. X dove forward and got a swing at him, which Giovanni barely ducked under. He went for a stab, but X moved and tried to strike from above him. Giovanni reached his hand up and caught the pole, then punched him into the opposite wall.

Pyro got the first hit in, kicking his face after he hit X. He tried a spinning slash, but Giovanni avoided it, then pushed him back with a hard strike of the sword, which connected with Pyro's. Shadow performed a flipping slice, which Giovanni avoided and spun a kick. Shadow ducked under it and kicked at his legs. Giovanni jumped over it and kicked his face, knocking him back.

The three of them all charged again. Giovanni stuck his sword in the ground. Pyro was first, so he gave a great uppercut, which knocked him into the air. Then, X was swept off his feet and kicked up to join Pyro. He was kicked perfectly, so he would fall at the same time as Pyro would. This let Giovanni throw Shadow up just a little and reel back his fist. When they were all together, he gave an incredible punch, rippling the iar and knocking them into the opposite wall.

While they attempted to get up, Giovanni casually sheathed his sword and used it for a cane again. "Humans amaze, confuse, and annoy me. All three feelings arise when you choose to fight back."

Pyro suddenly tossed something at his feet. A grenade! Giovanni jumped back as the explosion rang out, blasting pieces of the floor everywhere.

"Run!" Pyro commanded, and they did.

When the smoke cleared, Giovanni looked around. They were gone.

"It's not that easy to escape." Giovanni said. He turned to the doors behind him.

"Who is this guy?!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Heck if I know!" X returned. "All I know is he wants me for some unknown reason. I got the impression that he was like another Merovingian."

"Like we need another." Pyro snorted. "How do you get outta this place?!" He'd noticed they seemed to be going in circles.

X flipped on Neovision. "Whoa."

"What?"

"All the doors lead...virtually everywhere. I keep seeing flashes of various places, but the code keeps changing randomly."

"Remember what Riley said?" Shadow asked. "Everywhere leads nowhere and nowhere leads anywhere."

"Just look for a door that works." Pyro turned and opened one. Bedroom.

Shadow tried. "C'mon, c'mon." He opened it. Another hall. "Shoot."

X grabbed the doorknob. "Somewhere far from here." He pleaded. He opened it. Neovision was still on, so when he opened the door, X saw a quick flash of red code. It startled him, but received no harm. But he'd seemed to open the right door.

"Weird. Hey, guys! Found one!" They followed him and closed the door.

They seemed to have gone out a back door to a small building somewhere they didn't know. Pyro called Hero.

"Get us an exit before someone finds us."

"What?! Where did you guys go?"

"One of those warp-door things. Run a search."

He did. "Okay, I see you and I'm working on an exit. Just stay there."

Suddenly, the door opened again and Giovanni stepped out.

"Not an option, Hero!" Pyro hung up. "How did you get here?!"

"You can run but you can't hide. And you can't run very long at that." He reached for his sword. Pyro drew his gun and fired rapidly. While Giovanni was running, the guys ran for it.

"Over there!" Shadow pointed to a parking lot and ran for it.

"Split up!" Pyro shouted. Shadow had hesitated in entering the garage. He looked back and saw Giovanni running for them.

"Go!" He shouted. "I'll distract him!" He fired a 9mm as he ran. Giovanni hurried for him, but then saw two cars zoom out of the parking garage. He looked back and Shadow was gone. One of the cars held his prize. The other was useless to him. But which was which?

"Doesn't matter." He said. "Find him, I win. Find his friends, win a side-dish." He ran for a car.

X had no idea where to go. At first, he thought that splitting up was a good idea.

Then he remembered that he didn't have a phone.

"Just what am I doing, anyway?" He simply drove around aimlessly. Then, his window shattered. X ducked down instinctively as his car was ripped with bullets. He pulled to the side and got out. He had no weapon other than the pole he's taken from the Merovingian's wall, which wouldn't be of much use to him.

The firing soon stopped and X peered over. Siren tossed her empty gun down.

X stood. "How did you get here so fast?"

Siren held up a key. "With the right keys, you can go anywhere." She put it away and walked to him. "Did you think it would be that easy to escape?"

"You can't seduce me." X said.

"I don't plan to." She pulled two knives off her belt. "I tried to have little fun, but you leave me no choice."

X twirled his pole. "Try and stop me."

Siren jumped and spun in the air, blades flying. X jumped back and put his weapon up to block a few strikes, which proved effective once Siren actually struck him. She swung a low kick, but X jumped over it, giving him the air to swing his staff and knock one of her blades away, but she spun with the hit and sliced his cheek.

X stumbled and struck again. Siren blocked and nearly stabbed his stomach before he twisted out of the way and grabbed her wrist. Then, he grabbed the other and stood behind her with both of her blades to her throat.

"You know what?" He asked her. "You're a real pain in the neck."

"As are you." She shot her foot up impossibly high, kicking his face, then spun around, getting a slash at his stomach. He jumped back and sucked in, barley missing the deadly blow. Siren jumped up and kicked his staff away with one foot and bashed his face with the other.

X fell to the ground and Siren would have stabbed him had he not blocked, then kicked her head. Both adversaries jumped up, ready for more.

Shadow kept running after distracting Giovanni. But he would need a vehicle all the same. Shadow yanked open the door to the nearest car: a cab that some poor fool had left unguarded. He got in and hot-wired it. He was about to put it in gear when the back door opened and slammed.

"Drive." She said.

Shadow turned and looked at her. "What?"

"Just drive!"

"Uh, I'm not-"

"Are you deaf?! I said go! I don't care where and make sure you go fast."

"Miss, I'm not a cab driver!"

"Hey!" A man on the street called. "My cab!!"

"Looks like you are now." The young woman in the back said.

"Okay." Shadow took off.

Pyro, too, was lost. He was planning to turn back around and find the others, but his plans were derailed.

Pyro was holding his breath as he crossed a bridge over the freeway. He hated being anywhere near it after all the stories he'd heard. The freeway was known to be the most dangerous place in the Matrix; so many had died there due to "caused accidents". He didn't want to be the next.

WHAM!! Someone rear-ended him. A black car zoomed up beside him and slammed his side, ramming him into the wall of the bridge. Pyro fought back, but the car he'd chosen wasn't the strongest. He slammed the brakes and turned the wheel in order to pry away from the black car, which turned into a position to ram him again.

Pyro grabbed his sword and got out, jumping away from the vehicle as it slammed into his own, smashing it. Pyro jumped up and looked around for some way to escape and saw it. Timing it right, Pyro jumped off the bridge. He landed on a large truck, using his sword to stop him where he was. He'd made it...

Right onto the freeway.

"Great." He sighed. WHAM!! Pyro spun around and saw Giovanni standing on the truck. He, too, had jumped, but the bridge was too far to jump...well, too far for a human. Somehow, he was still dressed to impress. Pyro brandished his weapon again.

Giovanni chuckled and tossed his cane into the air, making sure to toss it far forward. He slid off his suit coat and caught his cane upside-down, put the coat on it, then batted the tip of his top hat, knocking it onto the cane. He flung his cane back, holding it by the sword hilt, causing the scabbard, coat, and hat to fly away onto the freeway while keeping the sword in his hand. He flipped it around his hand close enough to his neck to cut the tie, then stuck the sword into the truck roof. Giovanni unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, as well as the cuffs, then rolled the sleeves up so they wouldn't slide down again. He picked the sword back up and gestured to Pyro.

Pyro struck his own sword into the ground, slid off his trench coat, took off his shades and tossed them both away. He drew his sword again and beckoned him to come.

Giovanni charged and Pyro was right there to meet him. Their swords clashed, but Pyro was the one who was knocked onto his back. He catapulted up, flipping into a slash, knocking Giovanni onto his knees. Pyro flipped his foot up, striking Giovanni in the face, knocking him onto his back. Pyro swung down upon him, but Giovanni rolled away, then swung his feet up over his head, hitting Pyro across the face, spinning him to the ground.

Both of them jumped back up and circled each other. Pyro soon saw something in Giovanni's eyes. He stole a glance behind him. A bridge would nail him in seconds. He quickly dropped to his stomach, but to his surprise, Giovanni made no move to duck, nor jump. Instead, he stuck his sword up in the air and waited. When the truck pass under the bridge, he passed through it. Concrete and metal shattered around Giovanni's body and sword. He didn't flinch at all. By just standing there, he had formed a giant hole in the bridge. Cars flew off the gap and crashed into those below.

"Geez." Pyro whispered. Giovanni kept his cool grin and walked towards him. Pyro jumped back up and block Giovanni's strike, but the force was so strong that Pyro was forced onto his knees. Giovanni kept pressing down harder and Pyro's ankle was getting crushed and twisted, increasing in pain. Finally, Giovanni got tired and just kicked him back a few feet. Pyro tried standing again, but his leg wouldn't allow it for a minute. He rested himself on his knee and held his sword up in defense.

Giovanni saw his weakened prey and smiled. He began walking towards him.

BLAM! BLAM! Giovanni's head turned and saw an agent in a car firing at him. Pyro thought this would buy him some time. But once more, Giovanni surprised him.

Giovanni jumped off the truck and landed on the car, smashing it, but then jumped back-up-to-the-truck!!

Pyro's jaw dropped. What was this guy?! He was no ordinary program, that was for sure, but he was far surpassing the bounds of the physically possible.

Giovanni watch the car fall behind and turned back to Pyro with a smile. He ran for him and stabbed downward. Pyro rolled just in time and the sword struck into the truck roof. Pyro swung his foot up and kicked Giovanni's head with all his might. He flew back a foot or two, nearly rolling off the edge of the truck. Pyro jumped up and kicked the hilt of Giovanni's blade just as hard, breaking it off the sword. Giovanni was weaponless now. But that didn't stop him.

Pyro hobbled on his bad ankle and stood with his sword in hand. Giovanni stood ready. Pyro jumped up and swung. Giovanni simply put his arm up and stopped the blade with his arm. Pyro stared at him. No way. Giovanni swung his foot up, kicking him hard in the chest. Pyro spun in the air and flew right off the truck.

Pyro kept spinning as he fell off the side. Frantically, he stabbed his sword into the side of the truck. The plan worked. His fall was stopped and he hung there just an inch or two above the asphalt. His eyes were wide. His life was hanging by a thread. He looked up and saw Giovanni, who seemed equally surprised. He wouldn't just stand there for long. He'd think of an idea.

Fortunately, the agents were back and firing at him again from the other side. Giovanni was hesitant, but turned away to destroy anther car. He had a few seconds. Now what?

A car next to him honked. Pyro looked over and saw a cab. The right window rolled down and Shadow waved to him. Pyro couldn't believe it. Then, he heard the sound of a car being crushed under Giovanni's force.

Pyro positioned his feet on the side of the truck and kicked off, flying away from it and into the passenger seat of the cab. He also rammed into Shadow, almost causing the car to ram into the car next to them.

Giovanni looked at the cab in which Pyro had jumped into. He could see them inside. He could crush them easily. Suddenly, the truck swerved out of control, nearly knocking Giovanni off. It pulled away from the cab and the cab pulled off the freeway as fast as he could, nodding to the agent driving the truck.

"Shadow," Pyro said. "I owe you big."

"Don't worry about it, Pyro. Let's just get outta here."

"Pyro?" A female voice piped up in the back. Pyro spun around.

"Veronica?!"

"You know her?" Shadow asked. "Wow. That's weird."

"What is she doing here?!" Pyro exclaimed.

"Nice to see you too!" She snorted.

"She hopped in the cab and refused to get out." Shadow explained.

Pyro thought about it. "Yeah, that sounds like her." He looked at her. "What are you doing here?" He looked again. "And...what's with the duffel bag?"

She looked up at him and opened her mouth.

_Brriiinnnggg!!_ Pyro sighed and answered. "What?"

"Having fun with your girlfriend?" Hero asked him.

"Shut up! Just get us outta here before Giovanni comes back."

"I have an exit, but first you have to go back and pick up X. And tell Shadow to step on it." He told him where both X and the exit were. "And make sure to drop her off before anything happens."

"I will."

"Question." Veronica said. "Who's Giovanni, what are you guys doing and how in the world did you end up on the side of that truck?!"

Pyro and Shadow looked at each other. Of course, Pyro had to answer.

"My job." Shadow gave him a look.

"Your job?" Veronica asked him.

"Sure." He looked at Shadow and gave him the directions. "And hurry. I think X is in trouble."

X was in trouble, a lot of it. Siren was a lot faster than he was and X was getting hurt. He was already lined with numerous slices while Siren had barely taken any hits.

X spun his staff this way and that to block Siren's onslaught, then spun a few hits of his own. Siren bent out of shape to avoid them, then spun three more slices to his face. X stumbled and fell onto his back. Siren jumped up and swung down at him. X rolled, but so did she. She ended up over him again and struck. X grabbed her wrist, but Siren smiled and held up her other blade. X found that Siren's foot was on his other hand.

He suddenly found a burst of energy swell within him and launched his lower body back, flipping her over, then he swung his staff, knocking her away. She landed on her hands and flipped back up. X was tired and beaten, but Siren was still full of life.

Siren ran in for the kill, disregarding her orders. She faked a few swipes and X fell for it, blocking futilely and leaving himself open for a strike. But when she tried, X's instinct kicked in, flipping his foot up, kicking her blade into the air, then he jumped, spinning his staff to knock it away, then continued the spin to knock her back to the ground. She got up, but X kicked her back into the street, where a cab ran into her and stopped.

Shadow got out and looked at Siren, then X. "Cool." He said. "C'mon."

He hopped in the back. "Where were you...and who is she?!"

"Veronica." Pyro said. "The girl who took me in when I was knocked out, remember?"

"How did she get pulled into this?"

"Her own fault." Shadow said. "Won't leave."

"Geez." She said, looking at X. "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll live."

WHAM!! Everyone's head spun around and saw Giovanni on the trunk, glaring at them all.

"Or will you?" Pyro asked.

"Who is that?!" Veronica demanded.

"Hang on!" Shadow commanded. He slammed the brakes as hard as he could. Giovanni dug his fists into the trunk and stayed there the whole time. Shadow looked at him.

"Oh, yeah. They have to be on the hood for that to work."

"Just get out before he kills us all!" Pyro said. Everyone got out and Giovanni looked around at them.

"Another round?" He asked with a laugh.

"Again," Veronica said, "Who is that?!"

"Veronica, listen to me." Pyro said, grabbing her shoulders. "You need to leave. Just go, run, run anywhere, but get out of here!" She was hesitant. "Go! Go now!!" He pushed her and she ran, looking back at him.

"Look out!"

He spun and met Giovanni's foot, which knocked him to the ground. He looked up at Veronica.

"He's right, human. Run! Run fast and run far!!" He let out an evil laugh and she did run.

Shadow jumped high, blades up raised. Giovanni turned and jumped back and X jumped over him, smacking his head with his staff. He stumbled farther and Pyro made sure to get the extra kick in to knock him to his back. They all ran.

"The exit is in that warehouse in an office area." Pyro said. They ran inside.

"Up there!" X said, pointing to an elevated area with stairs leading to it.

Suddenly, a crate flew from behind them and shattered the stairs leading up to it. All three turned around to see a very irritated Giovanni.

Pyro brandished his sword. Shadow twirled his blades. X spun his staff. They were ready.

Giovanni looked around, then jumped up high, grabbing a chain around a beam and yanked it down. He swung the chain around and cracked it like a whip against the wall. Concrete pieces flew everywhere. The chain rattle when hitting the floor again. All was quiet.

"Great." Pyro sighed. Giovanni swung the chain again and they jumped over it, running for him. Giovanni swung back. Shadow and X ducked while Pyro jumped over, then shadow and Pyro jumped out of the way before they were shattered by the chain. Giovanni kept on swinging that wild chain-whip around, shattering whatever he hit with hit. The trio was having a very difficult time jumping and diving all over just to stay alive, much less attack.

X finally got an idea. He flailed over a strike and waited for the next. Sure enough, the whip came back towards him. He ducked down and stuck up his staff. The chain caught on it and wrapped around it. X held it in places and spun a few times to shorten the chain around himself, making it simple for Pyro to slice the chain with a swing of his sword.

Giovanni's chain was a good deal shorter, but could still be used. Shadow jumped for him, but Giovanni stepped back and when Shadow landed, grabbed one of the blades with the chain and yanked it from his hand, then spun and kicked his head in time to avoid Pyro's sword, then kick him and X away. Shadow bounced back up and went in for a low swing and cut the rest of the chain smoothly.

Giovanni dropped the useless links and blocked two kicks, then shot his foot up to knock away X before swinging it around to slam Shadow into the wall. Pyro swung upward, giving him a slice on the chest, but Giovanni took the hit and punched Pyro in the chest, then spun into back fist.

Finally, they came up with a little move they'd been working on. Pyro and Shadow ran for him from different sides. X slid for his legs, so he jumped, but Shadow was behind him and kicked him, flipping him forward. Pyro jumped in and kicked him into the wall. When he started to fall, X was already up and performed a jumping back flip kick, knocking him right back. Shadow knocked his feet out from under him and Pyro did another back flip kick powerful enough to knock him to the ceiling. To end the move, Pyro was strong enough-in the Matrix-to lift up X on one arm and Shadow on another and swing them forward so that both of them could slam their feet into Giovanni when he fell in place, Then they landed and flung Pyro into Giovanni and held him there so he could plant dozens of quick kicks into his chest, then one last two-footed kick which would break every rib in a human's body. Pyro flipped back and landed with his comrades and they picked their weapons back up.

Giovanni slowly rose back to his feet, eyes burning.

"Getting all fancy now, are we?"

Giovanni's struck his hand into the wall behind him. It didn't break or anything, it just stuck in there with a dim red glow. Suddenly, the rafter above broke loose and dropped. They all jumped away, but then the next one fell. They kept running as pieces of the building fell all around them.

"This is crazy!!" Shadow shouted. "We have to get outta here!"

"Shadow!" Pyro said. "You're the fastest! You go!"

He was hesitant to leave his friends, but then again, he really wanted to get outta there. Pyro grabbed a two-by-four and threw it at Giovanni, who was swung his hand and chopped through it. He kept throwing as Shadow ran, performing a Matrix-only jump to get into the office because the stairs were gone. He grabbed the phone and left the Matrix.

"Okay, you go." Pyro said.

"No, you first." X protested.

"He's after you."

"So he can't kill me!" He jumped at Giovanni, leaving Pyro to go for the phone. He ran and jumped into the office and hung up the phone. It rang again and he answered it.

X had no idea what he was doing. He ran to Giovanni and struck him with one of his viruses. Giovanni looked at it for a minute, then at X. "Come on. You can do better than that." He kicked X, knocking him backwards...right to the office. X jumped into it and hung up the phone. Just as it started ringing, sparks flew as a beam in the ceiling fell down and crush the phone, almost taking X's hand. He jumped back as more pieces fell down, eventually trapping him in a corner.

Soon enough, Giovanni peeled off the rubble and stuck his hand in X, just as he'd done the wall.

X's eyes shot open and he looked down at the hand. How was this happening? Slowly and painfully, he flipped on Neovision. It was amazing. Giovanni's code was interfering with X's.

"Sleep." Giovanni said. X saw the same red flash as he'd seen at the door just before he fell unconscious.


	7. XFactorPart Four

Chapter Seven: X-Factor-Part Seven  
  
"NO!!" Shadow exclaimed, watching the phone get destroyed. They all observed as Giovanni trapped X, struck him, and he fell unconscious.  
  
"He's alive." Hero assured.  
  
"He's unconscious?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Asleep, actually."  
  
"How could he be sleeping?"  
  
"I think Giovanni did it."  
  
"Keep your eyes on them, Hero." Riley ordered.  
  
But as if on cue, Giovanni and X disappeared.  
  
"Where'd they go?!" Hero wondered. He searched. "Nothing. They vanished."  
  
"I doubt it." Riley said. "Giovanni did all these other things, why can't he hide himself from those who can read code?"  
  
Hero sighed. "He's a smart one."  
  
Pyro turned angrily and punched a wall. "We HAD him!!"  
  
"Don't blame yourself." Riley encouraged. "Giovanni is unnaturally powerful."  
  
One of the sentinels projected a screen again and typed, "The rogue programs are getting stronger. He was unseen, unknown, and fought amazingly."  
  
"We have to try again." Pyro said.  
  
Hero looked at the captain. "Sir? Might I speak with you?"  
  
Riley nodded and they went to go talk in private.  
  
"What is it?" Riley asked.  
  
Hero shook his head. "They can't go back in."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Giovanni . . .it was him."  
  
Riley's eyes narrowed. "Him?"  
  
"When he started doing all that freaky stuff, like tear down the building, I saw his true code. It's the same program that attacked you last time."  
  
Riley barely breathed the name. "Abyss." The terrible program who killed the last crew except for Riley, who barley escaped and Hero, who was operating. "You're sure?"  
  
"Positive, sir."  
  
Riley shook his head. "Why does he want X?"  
  
"I don't know, but it can't be good."  
  
Riley thought deeper. "Shadow and Pyro were lucky to escape."  
  
"Exactly, sir. They can NOT go back in!"  
  
Meanwhile, back in the computer room, the phone rang. Hero wasn't there, so Pyro decided to answer it.  
  
"Pyro."  
  
"Is this the Genesis?" A thick Chinese voice responded.  
  
"Yeah. Who's this?"  
  
"My name is Seraph. I bring word from the Oracle. You must come at once."  
  
X's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry, but slowly came into focus. He was in a large, bare room. It was like a large, near-empty apartment room. Aside from the standard appliances, there was only a table and two chairs. X was in one of them, bound at the hands and feet, but the ropes were thicker and tighter than Siren's.  
  
Across from him, sitting in the other chair with one leg on the table, was Giovanni. He'd changed from what was left of his tux clothes to jeans and a white sleeveless shirt.  
  
"Sleep well?" He taunted.  
  
"Against my will." X noted. "Nice job."  
  
"Thank you." He took his leg down and leaned closer. "You have many questions."  
  
"That obvious?"  
  
"No, I read your mind."  
  
"Funny." X snorted, not knowing how serious he was.  
  
"Alright, then." He crossed a leg. "Ask away."  
  
"Just what are you, Giovanni?"  
  
"Your first question should have been 'Who are you?'."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My name isn't Giovanni. It's just one of the many aliases that I use."  
  
"Then who are you?"  
  
"I know you've heard of me. They call me . . .Abyss."  
  
X's eyes widened. "You!"  
  
"Yes, me."  
  
"You attacked the last Genesis crew!"  
  
"And killed them all . . .save one: your captain. Riley, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes. He barely escaped."  
  
"He was unbelievably lucky. But I haven't seen him around lately. Where has he been?"  
  
"He was told not to enter the Matrix for a while. His mind is very fragile."  
  
"Now don't you find that strange?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Many people are attacked in the Matrix all the time, some near- fatal, much like your captain. But they're all able to go right back in a day later at the most. Why did Riley receive damage outside the Matrix?"  
  
"Everyone receives damage outside the Matrix similar to what they received in it."  
  
"But that pain inflicts the body, even though it's your mind that's plugged into the Matrix. However, Riley receive what seems logical: brain damage. Why's that?"  
  
X hadn't thought much about that. Now that he did, Abyss made sense.  
  
"Well, we both know that you're no ordinary program."  
  
Abyss laughed. "That's it! You hit the nail on the head!"  
  
"So Pyro and Shadow will receive brain damage too?"  
  
"Ah, probably not. I didn't get them nearly as bad as Riley. Ah, how fun it was tearing him apart."  
  
"Alright." X continued, "Now that we know who you are, I want to know what you are."  
  
"Yes." Abyss said. "Because once you understand just what I am, you will understand everything else."  
  
Riley and Hero came back into the computer room and froze. Pyro and Shadow were plugged in.  
  
"What in the world?!" Riley exclaimed to the machines. "Why are they plugged in?!"  
  
The head machine typed, "They received a call from Seraph, guardian of the Oracle. He asked them to come."  
  
Riley calmed a little. "The Oracle wanted to see them?"  
  
"That is correct." Then it asked. "Was there a problem in sending them back in?"  
  
"I've just been informed that the program who attacked them is known as Abyss."  
  
"Abyss?!"  
  
"Yes. He attacked my ship not too long ago. I was the only survivor."  
  
"We know of Abyss. He was violent and incredibly dangerous program, but how, we do not know."  
  
"Now you understand why entering the Matrix would be dangerous."  
  
"Yes. Once they have spoken to the Oracle, we will create and exit and get the boys out of there immediately."  
  
"Right up here." Shadow said, pointing to a small place. Shadow and Pyro entered the place where the sentinels told them to go.  
  
It was a small Chinese teahouse, a simple four-wall place with no furniture except for a two tables. Sitting near the back wall was a Chinese man in a white outfit, sipping a cup of tea.  
  
"Seraph?"  
  
"Yes." He responded. Seraph put his tea down and stood up. "Thank you for coming." Pyro and Shadow closed the door and walked towards him, slowly. "I can take you to the Oracle," Seraph said, "but first," he put his hands together and bowed. "I must apologize."  
  
"For what?" Pyro asked.  
  
"For this:" Seraph jumped and spun his feet around. Pyro and Shadow bent back to avoid the kick, but he spun another. Shadow jumped back, but Pyro blocked it, then another.  
  
Pyro wasn't one to be toyed with, so he kicked back, but Seraph blocked it and kicked once more, knocking Pyro to the ground. Shadow jumped up and kicked him back, then flipped forward, going into a couple punches. Seraph took one punch, but avoided the others, striking back with three punches his own. Pyro jumped back in with a spinning kick of his own and Shadow swept his feet out from under him.  
  
Seraph rolled away and swung his feet around, tripping them both. Shadow and Pyro jumped up. Seraph spun a low kick to trip them both, but they jumped over it and bent back to avoid the high-kick he continued with. Seraph performed three more spinning kicks, forcing them to jump back. After the third swipe, Shadow swooped in for a punch to the gut, but Seraph flipped over him, leaving him wide open for Pyro's kick, which sent him back into Shadow, who kicked him over him. Seraph flipped with it and landed on his feet, then swung two high kicks at Shadow's head. He bent far back, then flailed over Seraph's low swing, then dropped to his stomach to avoid the high kick.  
  
Pyro jumped forward, foot outstretched for a kick, knocking him back. Shadow jumped and kicked him back also, but Seraph backflipped and kicked their faces, causing them to stumble. They all got struck a pose and got ready to fight again.  
  
But suddenly, Seraph dropped his stance and held up a hand.  
  
"Good. That is enough."  
  
Pyro and Shadow looked at each other and slowly eased up.  
  
"What was that about?" Pyro asked.  
  
"I had to be sure that you were with us."  
  
"So you tried to beat the tar out of us?" Shadow noted.  
  
"Yes. You do not truly know someone until you fight them."  
  
Pyro and Shadow had to give him that one.  
  
"Now, please." Seraph said. "Come with me." He lead them out the door and into a car, where he drove them to a simple apartment building. After going up a few levels, he opened a door.  
  
There was nothing real special about the apartment; it was rather typical. Seraph waved his hand into the kitchen and the boys stepped in, ducking under the beads hanging down from the top of the doorframe. Inside was an older black woman and a young girl washing dishes.  
  
"Don't be shy." The old woman said. "Come on in, we'll be done in a second." They walked in and waited as they finished the last dishes and put them away.  
  
The little girl walked up to them. "Hello." She said.  
  
"Hi there." Shadow said.  
  
"My name's Satie. Did you come to see the Oracle?"  
  
"Yes, we did."  
  
"Did Seraph hurt you?"  
  
Shadow had to chuckle. "A little."  
  
The Oracle chuckled as she turned around, wiping her hands off on a dish towel. "Satie, why don't you go and let us talk, dear."  
  
"Okay." She said. "Bye." The little girl left.  
  
"Well," The Oracle said, sitting. "Pyro and Shadow."  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Good to meet you both."  
  
"Likewise." Shadow said politely.  
  
"I'm sure you're both wondering why I called you here."  
  
"We are."  
  
"I understand you're in the middle of a fiasco."  
  
"Then you know that if it were not you, we would be searching for our friend again."  
  
"Nor would Riley have allowed you to enter the Matrix."  
  
Pyro raised a brow. "He knows we have to get X back. Why wouldn't he let us go back?"  
  
"Because while you were talking with Seraph, Hero informed Riley of just what it was that was chasing you."  
  
"As far as we know, he's a psychotic, super-powerful program. Do you know more?"  
  
"I know that his name is not Giovanni. It is an alias he created, as well as the personality for the part. He is actually someone you've already heard of: the deadly creation known as Abyss."  
  
"Abyss?" Shadow asked. "That's what attacked Riley's last crew. He still can't enter because of that attack."  
  
"I know." The Oracle said.  
  
"So we were lucky to escape."  
  
"But X was not so fortunate."  
  
Pyro shook his head. "Giov . . .Abyss wanted X . . .and now he has him."  
  
"The first thing you two need to do is stop blaming yourselves. X knew what he was doing. Abyss wouldn't kill him, so it was safest for you two to go first. And the fact that everyone is a very good thing."  
  
"Do you know where he is?" Shadow finally asked.  
  
"I do. He is in an apartment not far from here, with X. Seraph can take you there and tell you just how to get your friend back."  
  
"I appreciate the help," Pyro said, "but I have another question."  
  
"You wonder what next."  
  
"What next?" Shadow asked him.  
  
"Yeah. I mean what if we do rescue X? Abyss will still be after him. And what if we don't rescue him?"  
  
"I see." Shadow said.  
  
"It's kind of a lose-lose situation."  
  
"Now, don't be so negative." The Oracle said. "Where there's a will, there's a way, you know."  
  
"Alright." Pyro said, "Let's say we do rescue X. What do we do then, keep him out of the Matrix until Abyss is gone?"  
  
"On the contrary. X needs to return to the Matrix."  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"Because X is the only one capable of knowing how to defeat him, but he does not know it yet."  
  
"So if X can find out how to defeat Abyss, we're set." Shadow said.  
  
"But how get X to understand?" Pyro asked.  
  
"That is for X to discover on his own."  
  
"So what do we do?" Pyro wondered.  
  
"All you can do is help prepare him."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For the time when you cannot help him anymore."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You don't understand because you cannot understand."  
  
"I . . ." Pyro trailed off.  
  
"Don't get it?" The Oracle asked with a smile. "The only thing you can do and understand right now is rescuing X." Seraph came in. "Now, go. X is learning even as we speak."  
  
"I wasn't always like this." Abyss said.  
  
"You were once a very nice person until you were abused too much and pushed too far, then you became the ravenous monster you are."  
  
Abyss laughed. "Hardly. I mean I didn't always look like this. Vessels can change, but my mind does not."  
  
"How come no one's ever heard of you before, then?"  
  
"Oh, trust me, they have heard of me. They just don't recognize me yet."  
  
"So who were you?"  
  
"Do you know what an agent is?"  
  
"Of course." X rolled his eyes, not wanting to be treated like an idiot.  
  
"I mean do you know how to get one?"  
  
X didn't. "How?"  
  
"An agent . . .is a machine plugged into the Matrix. Of course, their programming is enhanced a bit, so that they're incredibly fast and powerful. If you can kill an agent, you're extremely lucky, but they can come back just as quickly."  
  
"What's this got to do with you?"  
  
"Would you believe I was an agent once?"  
  
"You were?"  
  
"That's right. I was the first Agent to ever be deleted."  
  
"And yet you're still here."  
  
"That's right. Want to know how? Well, all us machines knew that Agents were indestructible, but I was the only one to ever doubt it, and I wasn't going to take the risk. I created a backup of myself. Not long after, I was destroyed. That's when the backup kicked in and restored my A.I. However, my machine body was no longer accessible to me. I was stuck in the Matrix, which was fine with me. But because of this, because of my disconnection to the machine world, I was no longer considered and Agent. I lingered in the Matrix as a rogue, roaming the world on my own."  
  
"That's a really sad story." X said sarcastically.  
  
"Not really. It turned out to be wonderful. Because I was disconnected from the machines, I was not bound by their rules. I could act on my own, so I did. I planned on dominating the Matrix. But my main goal was destroying my main obstacle: the man who destroyed me: Neo Anderson."  
  
"Neo?!" X exclaimed. "Then you're . . ."  
  
"That's right. I was once the great rogue Agent known as Smith."  
  
X was stunned.  
  
"When I came back to life, something was different, though. I believe it was a piece of Neo overwritten onto me. It changed me; it enhanced me. I started infecting others' data, overwriting it with my own. I could even overwrite agents. The more copies I made, the more powerful I became. At one time I even infected a man named Bane and was able to exit the Matrix for a time and live as a human. But once more, Neo interfered. Finally, I infected someone very special."  
  
"The Oracle."  
  
"You've studied. Yes, I infected her and became her, filled with all her visions. I saw myself defeat Neo and I carried it out to the letter, dragging him to the ground and finished him." His expression changed to anger. "But then something impossible happened. Neo got up and destroyed me, all of me with the help of the machines."  
  
He smiled again. "But I still had my backup. Of course, I had to change my programming because now the machines knew how to stop me; they knew how to delete me should the see me again. After several changes," He spread out his arms. "Here I am."  
  
"Welcome back."  
  
"Thank you. I designed myself to be the ultimate hacking machine. I tested my abilities time and time again, then went looking for Neo. To my surprise, I discovered Neo was no longer with us." Abyss let out an evil chuckle. "The situation couldn't be more perfect! I could OWN this world now!"  
  
"So you started over again."  
  
"Secretly."  
  
"And you've been killing ever since."  
  
"Correct."  
  
X thought for a moment. "The warehouse. How did you make it collapse on command?"  
  
"I told you. I'm the ultimate hacking machine! I hacked into the very structure of that building and bent it to my will. Amazing, no?"  
  
"Amazing indeed. How do you do this?"  
  
"I was an agent once and I've taken over agents. I know how things work."  
  
"Alright." X was confused, but didn't want to continue in this area. "Another question. What do you want with me?"  
  
"I want you to sit and ponder that for a while, let things soak in. I love the expressions on humans' faces when realization dawns on them." Abyss was grinning. "Think about it."  
  
X tried, but came up with nothing. He sighed. "I don't know."  
  
"Think about me. Think about who I am . . .what I am . . .what I was, who I was. Think, X. I know you will discover it sooner or later. Think."  
  
BLAM!! A window shattered and Abyss fell to his face, blood on the back of his head. Before X could wonder what was happening, the door burst open and Pyro and some Chinese man burst in, flipped over him, cut the ropes, picked him up, and ran. X looked back as Abyss got up and saw them.  
  
The assault had given them time and they were able to run for a little while. When Abyss came out, he was shot again by Super-Sniper Shadow.  
  
"Come with me!" The Chinese man said. Pyro nodded, affirming the safety. They jumped in a car, but Pyro ran another way. "Take this." He handed him a strange pill. "It will cloak your coding."  
  
X took it, but then said, "He'll find me eventually."  
  
"Then we must get our business done before then." He took off, leaving Pyro and Shadow to fend for themselves. "Do not worry about them. They will be alright."  
  
X looked back, unable to help but worry. He was also frustrated about getting so close to finding out Abyss's plans.  
  
X discovered Seraph's name and reasoning in the car. He was taking X to the Oracle.  
  
Seraph led him into the apartment. X saw little Satie sitting on the couch, watching TV. She looked up at him.  
  
"Hello." She said.  
  
"Hi." X responded.  
  
"My names Satie. You're X."  
  
"That's right." X said, only slightly amazed by the girl's knowledge after all he'd seen today.  
  
"In there." Seraph said, pointing to the kitchen. X nervously entered.  
  
"Come on in, don't be shy." The Oracle greeted with a smile. "The Great Hacker, X. What a pleasure."  
  
X smiled. "The Great and Wise Oracle. It's an honor."  
  
"Why thank you." She lit a cigarette. "I understand you've had quite a day."  
  
"It's only been a day?" X snorted. He got to thinking. "Oracle . . ."  
  
"Don't worry. Shadow and Pyro have already exited the Matrix after giving Abyss a little run."  
  
"Good. I'm relieved."  
  
"But not fully."  
  
X sighed. "I was so close to finding out about Abyss."  
  
"It was not time to find out."  
  
"What about you? Can you tell me?"  
  
"I'm afraid not. The time will come soon. Just wait."  
  
X shook his head. "Every minute we delay adds on to our list of problems."  
  
"Then you'd better get cracking. But there's more to it than just defeating Abyss. Think about who he is, what he is . . .who he was, what he was."  
  
"He was Smith, Neo's arch-rival."  
  
"Yes, he was."  
  
"Neo killed him twice . . .but he's still here!"  
  
"Because . . .?"  
  
"He had a backup."  
  
"And therefore . . .?"  
  
"Who's to say he doesn't have another?"  
  
The Oracle pointed her cigarette at him. "Bingo."  
  
"Fantastic. But how do you destroy a backup file? Where do you even find it?"  
  
"Fortunately, he's made it easy for us. He hid his backup file in the mind of a human being."  
  
"How unusually foolish for someone like him."  
  
"Was it? Less predictable and less chance of being destroyed."  
  
"I suppose. So how do we find his backup human?"  
  
"It will be difficult, but then again, it will be easy."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You cannot fully understand yet because you're not supposed to." She smiled. "But I can help you a little."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"You cannot search for similar coding because the backup his hidden within the human, thus cloaking it. But Matrix life isn't all about code, is it? Search for someone with similar abilities . . .or identical ones."  
  
X didn't like that. "You mean there's someone else out there who can do what Abyss does?!"  
  
"The human is infected by Abyss's data, his DNA, if you will. This infection allows the human to perform the same abilities as Abyss can."  
  
"Wonderful." X sighed.  
  
"There is some good news to add on, X. The human does not know he has been infected by the backup."  
  
X thought about it. "No?"  
  
"Now, you're thinking." The Oracle knew.  
  
"If he doesn't know . . .he doesn't know who gave him the abilities, then does he?" He thought some more. "Maybe if we find him first, we can use those abilities to defeat Abyss."  
  
"One way or another, yes." The Oracle nodded. "So it is your job to find out who the backup his hidden in."  
  
X seemed unsure. "Shouldn't Pyro and Shadow be here?"  
  
"I've already spoken to them."  
  
"And they know the situation also?"  
  
"No, they don't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"X, you're the only one capable of understanding Abyss, how to find him, and how to stop him."  
  
X looked down. "I'd ask how you know, but that'd be foolish, wouldn't it?"  
The Oracle chuckled. "Shadow and Pyro have their task. This one is yours and yours alone. Your friends will help you all they can, but there will come a time when they cannot."  
  
"That's encouraging." X sighed.  
  
"You can do it." The Oracle said. "I believe you can."  
  
Seraph came into the room and escorted X out. He found his exit in another apartment nearby and left the Matrix.  
  
Author's Note: So the humans have a fighting chance, should they find the backup, but they have to find it before Abyss does. But who is it? Find out soon! Review, please. 


	8. Search

Chapter Eight: Search  
  
X felt a little loopy, never having been in the Matrix as long as he did.  
  
"So let me make sure my clock is still on track. We infiltrated a club, I got captured by Siren, I almost had sex, Shadow and Pyro rescued me, Abyss attacked us, I was recaptured, they rescued me again, and I met the Oracle all in one day?"  
  
"Yep." Shadow said. "Crazy, isn't it?"  
  
"You alright?" Riley asked.  
  
"I will be. I'm just gonna go rest for a while."  
  
A sentinel got his attention and showed the screen. "When you wake, we have questions about your X-virus and its usage one week ago."  
  
X nodded and walked off to sleep.  
  
X was only able to sleep for about an hour and a half, and then tossed around for another half hour. But soon enough, a heavy knock came on the large metal door. X got up and opened it. Shadow and Pyro were standing there.  
  
"Hiya." Shadow said.  
  
"Hey." He turned and sat back down on his bed. The quarters were rather large, giving them room enough for a bed for each of the boys. They each sat down on their own beds.  
  
"Sorry if we woke you." Shadow said.  
  
"No we're not." Pyro put in.  
  
X laughed. "It's alright. I couldn't sleep well enough anyway."  
  
"Good, cuz we guys have to talk."  
  
"Let's start from the top." Shadow said. "Why is it that I dawdle with a girl and get suspended, but you nearly get us all killed and get squat?!"  
  
X laughed. "Shade wasn't a programmed seductress."  
  
". . .She could be."  
  
"So what happened after you were taken?"  
  
"Siren threw me on a bed and we started going at it, then a couple guys burst in and take me off. Siren wasn't happy. Apparently, part of her deal was she got to fool around with me. Hey, I met the Merovingian. His wife's kinda hot, but I think he's gay. Anyhow, that's how I learned that 'Giovanni' wanted me. But I didn't learn much before Siren wanted to finish off her end. I learned a lot about her . . .a LOT."  
  
"She's a sexy whore, what more do you need to know?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Hey, at least she was attracted to me." He thought about that. "She said I was different."  
  
"That's what all the girls say." Pyro waved his hand.  
  
"She meant I resisted her more than any other guy. Somehow, that turned her on."  
  
Shadow shook his head. "Women are strange and complicated."  
  
"Yeah . . .and very aggressive."  
  
"How close were you?"  
  
"X," Pyro spoke up. "If you answer that, we can no longer be friends."  
  
They all laughed.  
  
"But before we actually did it, the agent came in and we went from there. What happened to you two when we split up?"  
  
"I got attacked by Abyss on the freeway and fought on a truck for a while. Hero recorded it, by the way, if you wanna see everything."  
  
"He jumped off the truck, onto an agent's car, and then bounced back up to the same place!" Shadow said in amazement.  
  
"It's more incredible when you see it first-hand." Pyro assured. "I was almost knocked off the truck, but I stabbed the sword into the side of the truck and hung there until Shadow saved my rear."  
  
"How casual that sounded." X noted.  
  
"As for me," Shadow said, "I jacked a cab, but Veronica was in it. She wasn't getting out? Her fault. Hero called me and I picked up Pyro, then you. You had a run-in with Siren?"  
  
"Yeah, and she about killed me. I saw the cab coming, so I pushed her out into the street. Didn't know it was you, though! Guess I was lucky you happened to be there."  
  
Shadow laughed. "When I saw Siren in front of me, I floored it." They all laughed. "I really don't like her."  
  
"But I was the one who had to explain to Veronica." He thought "I wonder what happened to her."  
  
"How do you plan on explaining it to her?" Shadow asked.  
  
Pyro sighed. "I don't know. If this was happening before the peace, we'd have to free her or she'd be agent-fodder. What do we do now?"  
  
"Don't tell Riley, that's for sure!"  
  
"Man, that was your own fault. What were you thinking?"  
  
"Well, where else am I gonna get to hang out with her?"  
  
"Uh . . .Zion?"  
  
"But we're not gonna be there that often, and only for a day or two!"  
  
Pyro gave him that one.  
  
"And don't tell me you wouldn't like to see Veronica more."  
  
"Hey, I'm helping her."  
  
"Just helping her?" Shadow inquired.  
  
Pyro didn't answer the question. "Anyway, what happened after Abyss captured you?"  
  
"He put me to sleep. I woke up in his apartment. Shut up, Shadow. Anyhow, I tried learning about him, but then you guys came along."  
  
"Hey! We were trying to help!" Shadow said in his defense.  
  
"I know, but still. I was so close!" He raised his arms in frustration.  
  
"But what did the Oracle tell you?" Pyro wanted to know.  
  
"First, you tell me what she told you two, then I'll fill in the blanks."  
  
"She told us where you were and that you would need our help for a while."  
  
"She said I'd need your help too, until some time when I have to work on my own."  
  
"What does that mean, anyway?" Shadow asked.  
  
"I don't know," X sighed, "But the Oracle was never known for being too straightforward, was she?"  
  
"Nope." Pyro agreed. "So anything else?"  
  
X thought for a minute, wondering if he should tell them. Well, how could they help if they didn't know?  
  
"Alright. Have any of you heard of the program Smith?"  
  
"You kidding?" Pyro snorted. "He's only the most infamous program in the history of the Matrix!"  
  
"Why?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Smith is who Abyss used to be."  
  
There was silence for a minute.  
  
"So what you're saying," Pyro finally spoke up, "is that Abyss and Smith are one and the same?"  
  
"Sort of. Abyss made modifications to his Smith program to become what he is."  
  
"But how is he still around after Neo destroyed him?" Shadow asked.  
  
"He had a backup."  
  
Pyro caught on. "Then who's to say he doesn't have another?"  
  
"Exactly." X said. "According to the Oracle, he hid the backup of himself within a human."  
  
"So we find the human and destroy the backup, then kill Abyss?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"How do we find the human?"  
  
"The code won't tell, but the human can apparently do things similar to Abyss."  
  
"Similar to Abyss?" Shadow groaned. "Just what we don't need."  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"And how do we defeat Abyss even after his backup is destroyed?"  
  
None of them knew the answer to that one.  
  
"A Sniper Shot to the head couldn't kill him." Shadow said. "What can?"  
  
"More firepower?" Pyro wondered.  
  
"I doubt it." X said.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
Again, there was silence. What was powerful enough to destroy the greatest program known to man?  
  
A little while later, a Sentinel came in and projected a screen.  
  
"If you are ready, we would like to talk to you about the incident a week ago."  
  
"Oh, yeah." X said, "Alright."  
  
Three sentinels came in and began asking questions. They were fascinated by the boy's intelligence.  
  
"Why have you not used the virus before?" One sentinel asked.  
  
"No real use." X lied.  
  
"We could use this as a weapon against the rogue programs." Another machine said.  
  
X's blood ran cold. "I, uh, I don't think I can mass-distribute the virus."  
  
"But we can." The main sentinel said. "If you can make us one copy, we can make hundreds. They can be used to improve our agents and stop the programs once and for all."  
  
"Um . . .I . . .don't think I can do that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because . . .because . . ." He trailed off, leaving everyone lingering.  
  
"Because . . .?"  
  
"Because . . .it, uh . . .the virus is . . ." Finally, X caved. "The virus is too dangerous."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I made it too powerful."  
  
"How do you make something too powerful?" Pyro asked. Everyone wanted to know.  
  
"Simple" X said. "I succeeded." He sighed. "But that was the problem. It's so powerful that if I slip up just a little when I'm using it, it could backfire tremendously."  
  
"Just how tremendously?" The head sentinel asked.  
  
X spilled it. "If commanded so, the virus could delete the entire Matrix."  
  
The Sentinels looked at each other, amazed. "How is this possible?"  
  
X shook his head. "It's just as powerful as I wanted it to be."  
  
"And you used it anyway?" Another sentinel asked.  
  
"I saw no other option."  
  
"Is there any way of stopping the virus?"  
  
X shook his head. "I designed it to be unstoppable and irreversible."  
  
"One more question." The head sentinel asked. "How is it that you, a human, designed such a monstrosity?"  
  
"Honestly, I really don't know. It just happened by accident, really."  
  
The sentinels conversed amongst themselves, then turned to X. "Thank you." Then, they floated out of the room.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Didn't want to scare you."  
  
"X," Pyro said. "If that virus is that powerful, maybe it can stop Abyss."  
  
X groaned, afraid he would say that.  
  
"Pyro, we still have to find the backup." Shadow said.  
  
"But if it works, Abyss will be gone and the backup will show itself, then we destroy it too before it makes another backup. Problem solved!"  
  
"It's too risky." X protested.  
  
"X, when Shadow was about to be killed, you were frantic, but you still pulled it off!"  
  
"I was lucky."  
  
"Bull." Pyro snorted.  
  
"How would we find Abyss anyway?"  
  
"Shadow and I will draw him out."  
  
X jumped up. "No!"  
  
"When he attacks one of us, you strike!"  
  
"Pyro, if I slip up, I could kill you."  
  
"If I wasn't ready to die any minute, I wouldn't be here."  
  
"He's right." Shadow said. "We'll find him and you kill him."  
  
"C'mon," X said. "There has to be another way."  
  
"I really don't think there is, X." Pyro disagreed.  
  
X could continue his argument, but it wouldn't hold too well. He'd only be delaying the inevitable.  
  
"Alright." He sighed. "Let's tell the captain."  
  
"You're all crazy!" The captain responded. "You risk your necks twice in there, nearly getting killed, and now you want to go back?!"  
  
"As decoys." Pyro said. "Just long enough to give time for X to act."  
  
"And how do we know that it'll kill him?"  
  
"We don't." X admitted.  
  
"But if it does," Shadow said, "we'll be one giant leap closer to stopping the programs."  
  
"And if it doesn't you're both dead!"  
  
"We'll set up and exit, or X can make up one again."  
  
The head sentinel spoke up. "X, you said yourself that the virus was risky."  
  
"Then I'll have to be extra careful." X defended.  
  
"And if you fail?"  
  
"I won't."  
  
Riley shook his head. "I don't like it. How on earth are you going to draw yourselves out, anyway?"  
  
"I think he'll be looking for us after our last encounter." Pyro pointed out.  
  
There was definite tension within Riley. He was conflicted. The plan might work, but he didn't want to take such a huge risk.  
  
"I don't like it." Riley said.  
  
"We have to do it." Pyro said, almost defiantly.  
  
Riley paced back and forth. "And you think that this backup will make itself known?"  
  
"Yes, and that's when we strike."  
  
"Better yet," Shadow said. "X's virus could make him tell us right who this person is so we can find them."  
  
"X, can you destroy the backup without killing the human?"  
  
"I think so." X admitted.  
  
"You think?" Riley repeated. "Wonderful."  
  
"Sir," Hero said. "I think they may have a point. I mean, what other options do we have? Abyss is a lethal menace and if we have to stop him."  
  
Riley leaned on the table and thought long and hard.  
  
"Alright." He finally said. "Let's do it."  
  
X rested his head on the table.  
  
"Now here's the tricky part:" Hero said. "Finding him."  
  
"I should be in there." X said. "He's looking for me."  
  
"But you're the only one who knows how to work your virus and it's too dangerous for you to be in there."  
  
"I know." X said. "I just hate this, all of it."  
  
"Who likes it?" Riley had to ask.  
  
"I believe Abyss does." A sentinel said.  
  
Shadow and Pyro had split up already.  
  
Shadow walked along the streets, looking all over for Abyss. How to find what can hide so welll? Shadow leaned against a wall and stared off into the street for a while. He felt it. Someone was close. Abyss? No, he didn't think so. It didn't feel the same. Shadow slipped into and alleyway and turned on his cloak.  
  
"What is he doing?" X wondered.  
  
"Oh, shoot." Hero sighed. He pointed to the screen. "How does this always happen?"  
  
"Let it ride." Riley said, to everyone's surprise. "We need Abyss to find them, so he'll have to stay in there for a while. Let him at least enjoy himself."  
  
Shadow slowly and silently slid around his invisible intruder until he was sure he was behind her. Then, he sprung. He grabbed her arms and twisted them around her, switching off her cloak in the meantime. Shade was revealed.  
  
"Ow! Hey! Let go!"  
  
"Stalking me?" He asked her.  
  
"No! I was just in the neighborhood and decided to follow you while remaining invisible." She grinned.  
  
Shadow let her go and turned off his cloak. "You can't stay away from me, can you?" He teased.  
  
"No, not really." She replied.  
  
There was an awkward silence.  
  
"Look, Shade," Shadow said. "I...I don't know if it's good for us to be here . . .together."  
  
"Why not?"  
"You remember why."  
  
"That won't happen again, I know it."  
  
"No, you don't. When I'm around girls I like, I get all weird and sometimes can't control my actions."  
  
"Whoa, what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said 'around girls I like'." Shadow froze. "You like me?"  
  
"I . . .uh . . .well, I . . ."  
  
"Shadow, don't be afraid." She blushed. "I've kinda had a crush on you for a little while."  
  
Shadow's eyes shot open. "Seriously?"  
  
"Yeah, that's why I was glad I found you today. We don't see each other that often."  
  
"Y-yeah, I know. I, uh . . . I wanted to spend more time with you here, but . . .you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know." She was walking closer to him. "We're here on duty- only. Speaking of that, I heard you had a pretty nasty run-in with the legendary Abyss. You alright?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine now."  
  
"That's good." She was right up close with him. "Wouldn't want anything happening to you."  
  
"Yeah, uh, me neither."  
  
They were silent for another couple of seconds. Then, they dove at each other, wrapping their arms around each other and kissing furiously.  
  
"Get a room." X groaned.  
  
"You should talk. All that action between you and Siren? Sickening."  
  
X thought. "Wait, were you watching what she and I were doing?"  
  
"Had to." He snickered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She had you in the palm of her hand, X."  
  
"Shut up. What's Pyro doing?"  
  
Pyro had his sword under his trench coat, ready to chop off Abyss's head at any given second. But that would have to wait.  
  
Brriinnngg. His phone rang. Hero or Shadow must've found Abyss.  
  
"Pyro." He answered.  
  
"Oh, you're finally answering."  
  
Pyro froze.  
  
"Hey, Veronica."  
  
"Where have you been? I've been calling for hours!"  
  
"Been unavailable." Pyro said.  
  
"We have to talk. Where are you?"  
  
He looked. "Just outside of Eddy's diner."  
  
"Alright, meet me in the park, it's about a mile south of there." Then, she added, "Please come, and please hurry." She hung up.  
  
Pyro knew he shouldn't dawdle, but then again, he was supposed to stay in the Matrix for a while, so he had a lot of time on his hands. He made another call.  
  
"Operator."  
  
"Am I gonna get canned for talking with Veronica?"  
  
"Nah, Shadow's with his girl too. You guys have some time to burn. Just keep your eyes peeled and we will too."  
  
"Deal. Which way's south?"  
  
"You're facing it."  
  
Pyro hung up and shrugged. "Okay." He walked off the mile southward. The park was easy enough to find. Sitting at a table alone was Veronica, still holding on to the duffle bag she'd had in the cab before bailing. She looked up and saw him.  
  
"Well, well." She said, obviously with a lot on her mind.  
  
"You called?" he said, sitting down across from her.  
  
"I did." She rested her elbow on the table, holding her hands together, resting her chin on them. Her eyes searched him. Pyro became confused.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"So are you gonna tell me?"  
  
"Tell you what?"  
  
"What the heck happened only a couple of hours ago?!" her voice instantly rose.  
  
"Oh, that. Uh . . .what do you want to know?"  
Veronica threw her hands in the air, frustrated, but went with it.  
  
"Alright, alright, um, who was that guy?"  
  
"Nobody, just a psychopath."  
  
"Just a psychopath." She repeated.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And why, might I ask was he chasing you?"  
  
"He doesn't like me, or anybody for that matter. He's a very disturbed individual."  
  
"You ticked him off, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah, but he'd have killed me anyway."  
  
"What exactly is it that you do?"  
  
Pyro froze. "Do?"  
  
"Yeah. What do you do that involves psychopaths?"  
  
He thought fast. "Well, I have to deal with individuals like him, trying to bring them down."  
  
"Uh huh." She said.  
  
"Yeah. But he's the toughest yet."  
  
Veronica nodded slowly. "That is the biggest load of baloney I've ever heard."  
  
"It's true!" He said.  
  
"Oh, yeah? So, what are you, a cop? C.I.A.? A Power Ranger?!"  
  
"No, sorta, and what?!"  
  
"What title would you give your job?"  
  
He thought for a moment. "Infiltrator."  
  
"Of . . .?"  
  
"Anything and everything."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Pyro went to his last resort. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not supposed to talk about what it is that I do."  
  
"And if you do, I'll be in danger?"  
  
"No . . .well . . .maybe."  
  
"Pyro," She sighed. "Why can't you just tell me the truth?"  
  
"Trust me, I am!"  
  
"How do I know?"  
  
"Have I given you reason to doubt before now?"  
  
She gave him that one. "Alright." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Whatever. At least you're alright. I thought that guy would kill you."  
  
"So did I." Pyro admitted. There was a silence between them for a moment. "So what about you?"  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"What's with the duffle bag?"  
  
She looked nervous. "I took your advice."  
  
His eyebrows perked. "You left?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Did you fight him?"  
  
"No. He wasn't home. I just packed what I could and I left."  
  
"You found somewhere to go?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh . . ."  
  
"I figured it was better to die alone on the streets than spend my entire life under his iron fist."  
  
"I should think so too."  
  
"But . . .it's not like I WANT to die alone on the streets." He hesitated. "That's partly why I wanted to talk to you. Is it...possible that...I could stay with you? Just for a little while!"  
  
Pyro found himself at the toughest spot in his entire life. He lowered his head in grief and defeat. His assistance could only go so far.  
  
"Veronica, believe me, I wish I could help you, but . . .I can't give you a home."  
  
She looked down. "I see."  
  
"No, you don't, trust me. It's physically impossible for you to stay with me. In any other case, I'd do it."  
  
She looked at him. "You really mean that?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
She gave a small smile. "That means a lot."  
  
Pyro smiled. "I do what I can . . .but unfortunately, that's all I can do."  
  
"I understand . . .you know you're the first person I could really confide since . . ."  
  
"Scott?"  
  
"Yeah . . .don't take that the wrong way."  
  
"It's alright." Pyro said. "Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Veronica thought for a minute, and then looked up at his face. "Take off the glasses."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I want to see your eyes."  
  
Pyro didn't quite get it, but he slid the shades off. Veronica smiled.  
  
"I like your eyes."  
  
"Um . . .thanks."  
  
"Scott never quite looked at me the way you do."  
  
"The way I do?"  
  
"Earnest to help. Even from the start, he was mostly just into what he wanted. I was so stupid to follow him in the first place, but I wanted out so bad that I didn't take the time to think straight."  
  
"Everybody makes mistakes."  
  
"But how many can correct them?"  
  
"You just did."  
  
"Are you sure? Where am I going to go?"  
  
Pyro sighed. "I really don't know."  
  
They both looked down.  
  
"So . . ." Veronica began, "What is it exactly that you're doing here?"  
  
"Still looking for the psychopath, whose name is Abyss, by the way. He's around here somewhere. I just have to find him."  
  
"Just look for a tall, white, bald guy jumping on cars."  
  
"He's a master of disguise, he can make himself look like anyone."  
  
"Anyone?"  
  
"Anyone."  
  
"Pyro!" A voice called. He turned and saw Shadow flag him down, then go into an alley not far away.  
  
"I'll try to come back." He said. He ran over to the alley and looked around. "Shadow!" he called. But to his surprise, he couldn't find Shadow anywhere. He called his cell.  
  
"Shadow here."  
  
"Hey, where are you?"  
  
"Uh . . .don't really know, why?"  
  
"What did you want?"  
  
"Want?"  
  
"You signaled me, now what did you lead me back here for?"  
  
"Lead you where?!"  
  
"Quit playing games, Shadow, where are you?!"  
  
"Uh . . .behind the Dawson building."  
  
Pyro raised a brow. "That's miles from here."  
  
"Pyro what's going on?"  
  
"I saw you signal me to come back into an alley here, but when I got here, you weren't there!"  
  
"Pyro, I haven't seen you yet."  
  
"Well, if it wasn't you, then he sure looked like . . ." Both boys figured it out at the same time. "Oh, no."  
  
"Pyro, where are you?!"  
  
"I'm in the park, and so is he!"  
  
Veronica only had to wait a moment before Pyro came back with a troubled look on his face.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
"I think Abyss is around here."  
  
Her eyes darted around. "Where?"  
  
"Who can tell? I told you he's a master of disguise. Keep your eyes open."  
  
BOOM!! The alley exploded when Pyro had just been a moment ago. They both jumped up and looked at the wreckage.  
  
Veronica instinctively grabbed Pyro's arm. He looked at her, then put his hands on hers.  
  
"It's alright." He said, gripping her hand.  
  
"S-sorry." She said, sheepishly.  
  
"It's alright."  
  
"Um . . .you can let go of my hand."  
  
"Not until you answer me one question." Pyro disagreed.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I would much like to know the numbers Pyro gave you to call him."  
  
Veronica told him both numbers, then re-thought the question. "Wait a minute. Why were you talking in third person? And . . .you should know those numbers."  
  
Pyro smiled. "Remember the psychopath who could disguise himself as anyone?"  
  
Veronica's eyes widened. "You're . . .?"  
  
"I am."  
  
"Then . . ." She looked at the wreckage from the explosion. "Pyro!!"  
  
Abyss felt a gun to the side of his head.  
  
"Too late, Abyss."  
  
Abyss-Pyro chuckled. "Too late for you, my friend."  
  
Pyro pulled the trigger, blasting his head open. Veronica jumped and shrieked as his lifeless body fell.  
  
"Get out of here." The real Pyro ordered. "I'll try to find you later! Go!" Veronica's eyes widened as Abyss got back up, shaping himself back into his original form.  
  
"GO!!" Pyro repeated, firing again. Abyss dodged this one and charged at him. Pyro jumped over him and fired a few more rounds into his back. He flipped open his phone.  
  
"Got him!!"  
  
"I know!" X replied. "So do I."  
  
Abyss got up and looked at Pyro, who was smiling.  
  
"And just what are you smiling about?"  
  
"Do it, X. Do it now!!"  
  
X glared at the screen and began working. "So long, psycho." He typed in "delete".  
  
Abyss twitched, just as the other programs had done. His whole body jolted nervously, but he shook his head a little and that was it.  
  
"Uh, X?" Pyro said. "Hurry up!"  
  
"He's fighting me, trying to block me off. Just give me a minute, I'll crack him!"  
  
X was working furiously, overriding everything Abyss threw at him, but everything X threw was overwritten as well.  
  
"How's it going?" Riley asked him.  
  
"Geez, he's fast and he's strong, but he has no idea what my virus can do!"  
  
Abyss was twitching like mad now. He was sent into constant spasms, fighting X back.  
  
"I think it's working!" Pyro told him.  
  
X's fingers were about to fall off. "Ho, man, he's good!" Sweat was sliding down his face. "Delete! Delete, darn it all! Delete!!"  
  
Suddenly, the entire screen glowed a bright crimson red.  
  
Abyss suddenly stopped and smiled at Pyro. He reeled back his hand and Pyro jumped aside. Abyss threw a glowing red ball, which barely missed Pyro and hit the tree behind him. The tree exploded in fragments of red code.  
  
Shadow had just come up a few seconds ago, having stolen a car and he saw the tree get destroyed. It was the same as the programs whom X had deleted. But Abyss still stood.  
  
"What happened?!" Riley demanded.  
  
X stared in confusion. "He . . .he re-routed the virus!"  
  
"He WHAT?!"  
  
"He changed the target! It would've killed Pyro had he not moved."  
  
Riley shook his head. "So Abyss is immune . . .great. Get them out of there!!"  
  
Pyro jumped at him, spinning his sword to plant a few slashes, but Abyss countered with a powerful punch that sent him flying across the park and into a wall.  
  
Brriiinngg!!  
  
Pyro weakly looked up. A phone? His eyes shot open. He jumped up and grabbed it. He exited the Matrix and the phone vanished instantly after.  
  
"What happened?" Pyro demanded, rubbing his sore stomach.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Shadow asked, sitting up. "It didn't work!"  
  
"How didn't it?!"  
  
"According to X," Riley said, "Abyss overrode him."  
  
"I just don't get it." X said, rubbing his head. "How did he do it?"  
  
"I don't get it either." Shadow said. "I mean, you're the Ultimate Hacking Machine!"  
  
"Yeah," X muttered. "But so is Abyss."  
  
X suddenly jumped straight up from realization.  
  
"It can't be . . ." he whispered.  
  
"What's up?" Pyro asked. X stood, staring at the computer screen, eyes wide.  
  
"You okay, man?" Hero asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
X's hand twitched. "I . . .I . . .h-have to . . .I have . . .t-to think . . .for a while." He turned and slowly walked out of the room and into his own quarters.  
  
X whispered to himself. "It was so obvious..."  
  
Author's Note: What's gotten into X? And just why didn't the X-Virus kill Abyss? And what of the backup program? All those answers will given tomorrow. So, what do you think so far? 


	9. Backup Virus

Chapter Nine: Backup Virus  
  
Pyro came back into the room and sat back down at the table.  
  
"Still no response?" Riley asked.  
  
"Nope. I snuck a peak. He's just laying there, staring at the ceiling. He looked pale."  
  
Riley sighed. "Alright, let's go over this again. X's virus didn't work against Abyss. In fact, he re-routed it and tried to kill Pyro with it. If X hadn't hacked in and made an exit, you'd both probably be dead. When you guys came back, X was staring at the screen, wondering how Abyss overrode his virus. Shadow, you said, 'I don't understand either. You're the Ultimate Hacking Machine.' Suddenly, he flips out. How does that fit together?"  
  
"I'll tell you how." It was X, standing at the doorway. Sorry for taking so long, but I had to make sure I was right."  
  
"About what?"  
  
X hesitated. "Man, where do I start?"  
  
Shadow asked, "Why did you flip out when I said you were the Ultimate Hacking Machine."  
  
"Because that's exactly what Abyss called himself."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So that's what finally put the pieces together for me."  
  
"What pieces?" Riley asked.  
  
"A lot I didn't even know existed." X admitted. "It helped me realized just who the backup is."  
  
"You know?" Riley inquired. "Then who is it?"  
  
X looked up at them. "It's me."  
  
Everyone looked at each other.  
  
"Wait." Pyro said. "That's impossible."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well . . .you exit the Matrix all the time, how can it still be there?"  
  
"Because it's imbedded into my mind, which Abyss has perfect access to in the Matrix."  
  
"But . . .how could he do it?"  
  
"Remember how I was knocked unconscious in a simulation by the attacking program?"  
  
Pyro cocked his head. "That was Abyss?"  
  
"He hacked into the simulation and poses as the enemy, then knocked me out and implanted the backup in my mind. Now it's a part of me."  
  
"How are you so sure that it's you?" Riley asked, which everyone wanted to know.  
  
X held up the flash drive that was his virus. "Because of this."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"I had no idea how to make this until a few months ago, after I was infected. Think about it. My virus can infiltrate anything, destroy anything, or control anything, it's undetectable and incurable. I can do everything and anything with this virus."  
  
"So?" Pyro said.  
  
"Abyss can do the exact same things as this virus."  
  
"Hey," Shadow said. "He's right. When Abyss destroyed that tree today, it was exactly like when the programs that attacked us were deleted."  
  
"But what really set me off," X said, "Was that Abyss defeated my virus. The only way to stop a virus is to know it. I know my virus, what it is and what it's made up of, and how to work it. The only way to stop it is to also have this information, then you can work with it. He knew how to work my virus and that's how he rerouted it."  
  
"So how did he know?" Riley wanted to know.  
  
"Because he IS the X-Virus!!"  
  
"What?!" Pyro exclaimed. "How is that possible?!"  
  
"I believe that I made my virus based no the information in the back of my head, the information on how to re-create Abyss, should something happen. My virus was based on Abyss."  
  
"Whoa." Hero said, believing it all.  
  
"When we escaped from the Merovingian, I think I controlled the door. I held it and said 'lead me far from here'. It did! And before it did, I saw a red flash. I think that was me, overriding the chateau control, and that's how Abyss followed us so easily. He did the same thing.  
  
"Remember how I said Siren said I was resistant to her spell?" he tapped the back of his head. "Because of this! And remember when Abyss was somehow making the warehouse crumble on us? He was controlling the building, just as my virus can. He also used his ability to put me to sleep by commanding me."  
  
"Wait, how can he do that if part of him is in you?"  
  
"Because I wasn't using that part of me. He was using his." X held his hands out. "It all fits."  
  
"I'll believe it when I see it." Pyro said, shaking his head.  
  
X didn't want to argue. "Next time we're in the Matrix, I'll try it."  
  
A stepped up. "There is one more item to all of this."  
  
"Yes?" X asked.  
  
"You do realize, don't you, that, if all this is true, then, in order to eliminate the Abyss menace for good . . .you, too, must be terminated."  
  
All eyes turned on him. X looked down.  
  
"Yeah. I know."  
  
Shadow shook his head. "No way."  
  
"I see no other choice." X said.  
  
"Well, the rest of the ship equals eight more eyes," Pyro said, "So I'm sure we can see things you cannot."  
  
"I sure hope so." Said X.  
  
"So what now?" Hero asked. "What do we do?"  
  
"Perhaps X's newfound powers can be used as an advantage." A sentinel typed. "In person, he will have more control than the computer virus. Maybe we can use him as a weapon."  
  
X groaned. "Always a weapon. I wish I'd never made the stupid thing."  
  
"But it may end up saving us." Riley said. "We've all had enough headaches for today, but tomorrow, you guys are going back in."  
  
The guys sighed.  
  
"You alright, man?" Shadow asked when they were all in their beds.  
  
"Alright?!" X exclaimed. "I'm a piece of the deadliest program ever known and I created a virus based on it!!"  
  
"Chill out." Pyro said. "It wasn't your fault."  
  
"I know, I just . . .dah!!" He threw his hands in the air and let them fall to his sides. "What am I gonna do?"  
  
Pyro and Shadow couldn't answer that one.  
  
"Look," Pyro said, "The Oracle said we were going to have to help you and we will. Anything you need, just ask us."  
  
X smiled. "Thanks."  
  
"Now try to sleep it off." They all turned in.  
  
But later that night, Shadow spoke again with Pyro.  
  
"The Oracle said we would help him until we could not anymore." Shadow said. "You don't think she meant until . . .?"  
  
"I still can't believe that X is really the backup."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I think it would've been a bit more obvious."  
  
"How much more obvious can you get?"  
  
"With every resurrection, Smith/Abyss has always kept his will to destroy. It would have shown in X by now, I'm sure of it. He'd have killed us by now."  
  
"Maybe his will hasn't entered X's mind because he hasn't used it, or maybe X's mind is too strong."  
  
"Maybe. We'll see tomorrow."  
  
The next day, nobody was ready for the entrance. Each one they endured became worse and worse. They decided to put it to practical use.  
  
"Now, X," Riley said, "All you need is a computer, any computer, and, if you're right, you can hack in and find where many of the programs are."  
  
"It'll take quite a bit of time to search the entire Matrix, overriding every stop to just see them."  
  
"We have plenty." Riley assured. "Pyro, Shadow, make sure he gets that time." They nodded. "Okay. Let's go." The three boys lay back in their seats. A sentinel each took a teen. "You all ready?" Riley asked.  
  
"No." X said.  
  
"Good luck anyway." The sentinels plugged them in.  
  
"So what computer are you going to use?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Well, I want to spend as little time as I can. The best way to do that is to find a computer where I have to use my powers the least, a grand computer that already can hack. But even better would be a computer that already knows a lot."  
  
"What computer has all that?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Who would know the most about the rogue programs other than Abyss?"  
  
"The Merovingian."  
  
"Bingo."  
  
"How are you gonna get there?"  
  
X put his hand on the knob of a back door to a building.  
  
"Experimentation." He looked at the door. "Merovingian's computer room." He opened the door and there they were. There were a few guards inside, who turned to greet them.  
  
They didn't want to damage the computers, so only Shadow stepped in at first, firing a bullet from each gun, knocking down two guards. He fired again and finished off the last two.  
  
X stepped up to the large computer and put his hands on the keyboard.  
  
"Most of them are probably here already," X said, "But let's see where the others are."  
  
Pyro flipped open his phone and called Hero. "You ready?"  
  
"Ready." Hero was going to download all the info that X gave him.  
  
"Find the programs." X told the computer. "All of them."  
  
The machine sprung to life. Results displayed soon enough, flashing names and faces and locations, which X stored up in a file and Hero began downloading.  
  
"How is it?" Shadow asked.  
  
"A little tricky. Give me some time." Pyro and Shadow waited.  
  
"He's really doing it." Pyro said, amazed.  
  
"I know." Shadow said.  
  
Soon, X wondered, "Where could Siren be? I have a bone to pick with her." He searched the entire Matrix in a few seconds, but found nothing. "Odd." He searched again. "She must be hidden from code."  
  
"Can you search harder?"  
  
"I don't know what to look for . . .but the computer does." He searched another department, looking up Siren's info, then he searched for that particular coding and got a result. "Alright, she's . . .oh, shoot!!"  
  
The door opened and a grenade flew in. The guys all jumped away and covered their heads as it went off almost instantly, blasting the computer to smithereens.  
  
A lone program walked inside, coming through the smoke like a goddess.  
  
"Well, well, well," Siren said. "I knew you'd come back to me."  
  
"I really hate her." Pyro said, drawing his sword. He jumped at her, but she ducked under him and knocked his legs out from under him, then kicked him away.  
  
"She's fast." Shadow said, "But not fast enough." He ran and slid under her as she jumped. Shadow spun back and swung three fast kicks, all of which were blocked. Siren struck thrice with her blades, but Shadow whipped out his own and blocked them all, then swung a high kick. Siren bent back and swung her own kick, knocking him into Pyro, who was about to get up.  
  
Siren turned and her face me X's staff. She spun with it and kicked his side, toppling him. He blocked three more strikes, then went for the kill. Siren backflipped in the air, kicking his staff up, also bringing his hands up. She landed before he could block and rammed her knife into his stomach.  
  
X's eyes shot open and he was frozen. He looked down at the blade in his stomach, then at Siren and Shadow, who stared in shock and horror.  
  
Siren yanked out the blade and turned. X fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.  
Pyro was burning. "You'll pay for that."  
  
Siren whipped out a handgun and fired away. The boys dodged the bullets until she ran out of ammo. They were going to attack with their own guns, but they stopped, eyes wide.  
  
Siren didn't know why they stopped until she felt breathing on the back of her neck. She spun around to face X.  
  
X rammed his hand into her, just as Abyss had done to him. Sure enough, it worked.  
  
"Ahh!" She cried. She tried stabbing him, but X stopped her.  
  
"No." He said. She obeyed, stopping. "Drop 'em." She did.  
  
"What . . .how did you . . .?"  
  
"Appearances can be deceiving." X said with a smile. "You're a real thorn in my side. But no more." He gave the command. "Delete."  
  
Siren twitched and writhed as the virus did its business. With a cry, she burst in fragments of red code, just like everything else infected with the X-Virus.  
  
Shadow walked over to him. "How did you . . .?"  
  
"The virus in me." X explained. "I was even able to alter myself!"  
  
"Incredible!"  
  
"That's not the word for it." Pyro muttered to himself.  
  
X's phone rang. "X." He answered.  
  
"Let me guess." Hero said. "The virus?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Listen, a bunch of programs are coming towards you."  
  
"Did you get the info?"  
  
"Everything up until Siren. I have an exit right back where you guys entered. It's far from the Merovingian's men. Think you can get there?"  
  
"Yep." He hung up. X commanded the door to bring them back to their entrance point. They went through and closed the door behind them, leaving no trace for the programs to follow.  
  
"Right in there." X said, pointing to the warehouse. "Right where we came in."  
  
"Hold on a second." Pyro said, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around.  
  
"What?" Pyro didn't look happy.  
  
"I didn't believe it before, that you were a piece of Abyss. Sure, signs seemed to point that way, but who knew? Maybe you were a new Neo or something. But now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I know it's true. You are a piece of Abyss." His eyes narrowed. "And that doesn't settle with me."  
  
"What do you mean?" X asked.  
  
"I mean you've got a piece of our enemy in your brain." He was circling X. "How do I know that's not effecting you?"  
  
"Pyro, it's not! I'm still me!"  
  
"Yeah, you are, still part human, part virus. That backup has Abyss's will with it. How can I possibly know that it won't overcome the human part of you and cause you to change your mind on who your buddies are."  
  
"You're crazy. I have my own mind!"  
  
"For how long?" Pyro asked him, right up in his face.  
  
"Dude," Shadow said. "Can we discuss this on the ship?"  
  
Pyro shook his head. "No, we can't." he shoved X. "Seraph taught me something: You never really know someone," He brandished his sword. "Until you fight them."  
"Pyro, what are you doing?!" Shadow exclaimed.  
  
"Don't do this." X pleaded.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't want to hurt you."  
  
"Prove it!" Pyro ran and jumped at him. X blocked with his staff, but the impact knocked him to his knees. He blocked Pyro's downward strike again, then rolled away.  
  
"What are they doing?!" Riley exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know!" Hero said. He dialed Shadow. "Shadow! What are they doing?!"  
  
"Pyro doesn't trust X because of the virus part of him!"  
  
"Well, stop him!!"  
  
"I can't! Pyro's twice as powerful as I am!"  
  
Hero sighed. "Alright, we'll try something else." He hung up. "Pyro doesn't trust X with a virus in his head. Shadow can't stop him."  
  
"Alright." Riley said. He turned to the sentinels. "You'll have to stop them."  
  
They went to the plug-in seats.  
  
Suddenly, they stopped. The head sentinel opened its satellites and looked around.  
  
"What is it?" Riley demanded.  
  
The sentinel projected a screen. "Sentinels! Many sentinels! And they're not on our side!"  
  
Hero and Riley looked at each other.  
  
"We can't use the EMP with the kids in the Matrix." Riley said. He looked at the sentinels. "Can you work the guns?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then you get back there and do that. Hero, you stay here and keep that exit open for the boys. I'm getting us out of here!"  
  
He ran up to the cockpit and got the ship going. There were only five sentinels, so they each took a gun and got ready. Riley could barely believe what he saw on the screen. There were way too many sentinels to possibly take out with the guns. The EMP would be needed.  
  
"You kids better stop your fighting and get the heck outta there!!" Riley said as he took off.  
  
Shadow could only watch helplessly as Pyro continued his onslaught. He kept striking and slice and X could only block, unable to get a hit in of his own.  
  
The sentinels began firing upon their own kind, surprised by the number as Riley was. Riley was twisting and turning this way and that, just trying to avoid the enemy. Hero held on tightly to the computer screens as the ship was rocked back and forth. He kept watching the screen.  
  
Abyss chuckled to himself as he leaned back in his apartment.  
  
"You cannot escape me, X. Your friends have turned on you, my sentinels will destroy your ship and kill your crew, and you'll soon be back with me, safe and sound."  
  
He let out an evil laugh.  
  
Author's Note: I don't know what to say here. Just please review, tell me what you think. 


	10. A New Plan

Chapter Ten: A New Plan  
  
Having sentinels for gunmen wasn't a bad idea at all. They knew their kind. They knew their weak points and exactly where on the ship they would attack. The sentinels tore through the enemy with a barrage of bullets from five gun turrets while Riley navigated the ship, just trying to buy some time.  
  
But the sentinel army was a large one and some got through. Riley was able to shake most of them, but then . . .  
  
Hero's eyes were glued to his screen, watching Pyro beat the tar out of X. Shadow tried intervening, but he was tossed aside.  
  
"Pyro, what the heck is wrong with you?!" Hero grumbled to himself. Suddenly, he heard the sound of metal twisting and ripping. He spun around and looked up. A hole was being cut in the ceiling. "SHOOT!!" He grabbed an electric rifle and fired up at the hole. Success! He hit a sentinel and it flew off. There were more, though. One stuck its head it and Hero fired again, dismantling it. The third came in and hovered over Shadow's body. Hero fired and got him too, but the fourth and final one flew in and swung at Hero, knocking him across the room, causing him to drop the gun.  
  
The sentinel turned to X and raised its claws. Suddenly, it stopped. It looked at Pyro and went for him instead. That gave Hero enough time to roll over, grab the gun, and fire. The sentinel twitched and writhed, but somehow, it didn't die. It turned and glared at him, then jumped at Hero. Hero fired again, stopping it dead in its tracks and the machine fell to the ground.  
  
Hero painfully ran to the intercom. "Captain! Breach in the Matrix room!"  
  
Riley heard the message. "Of all the places." He sighed. Then, he said to Hero, "Keep the sentinels at bay! I have an idea!" It was risky, but he'd done it before. The sentinels knew the ships of Zion, which is how they knew where to cut into the ship. But they also knew what to look out for.  
  
Riley began slowing the ship and lowering it.  
  
Hero felt the ship slowing down. At first, he was frightened, but then he remembered the last time they'd been in a jam like this. He smiled.  
  
The sentinels at the guns were confused. Why was he slowing down? Why was he landing the ship?!  
  
The ship lost its altitude and landed in a clear spot. This would seem like the perfect opportunity to strike, and in truth it was. But the sentinels were too smart for their own good. As the ship landed, the sentinels bolted away, just as Riley expected.  
  
"Ha, ha!!" Riley laughed over the intercom. "Suckers!!"  
  
A sentinel sent Riley a message to the front, wondering what happened.  
  
"Simple." Riley told them. "When I landed, they thought I was going to use the EMP, so they fled! Now let's get outta here before they fling a bomb or something." He lifted the ship and flew off again.  
  
X was a dead man. There was no way he could beat Pyro in a one-on-one battle. How could he stop him? Shadow had already tried helping a couple of times to no avail.  
  
Pyro jumped up and struck again. X rolled away and jumped to his feet. Pyro swung upward, planting another slice on X's face, then kicked him back.  
  
X saw no other choice. He put his hands on his stomach and whispered to himself: "Fight back."  
  
Pyro ran at him. X's body acted on its own. He jumped clear over Pyro's head and kicked him from behind. Pyro spun and swiped at him, but X shot out his arm and blocked the sword, then punched Pyro away.  
  
Pyro got up and moved away as X struck with his fist. He swung low at X's feet and X jumped over it, kicking Pyro in the face. Pyro took the hit and stabbed at him. X grabbed his hand and rolled in, bashing Pyro's stomach with his elbow, then his face. He yanked the sword from Pyro's hand and swung a spinning kick, knocking Pyro several feet away onto his back.  
  
X ran to him and jumped, sword pointed down. Pyro shook his head on the ground and didn't see X until it was too late. Fire in his eyes, X landed over Pyro, sword a millimeter from Pyro's chest. X breathed heavily and unevenly, as if straining. His hands twitched. Pyro knew that part of X wanted to finish him right there.  
  
But that other part of X knew better. Slowly and with much effort, X pulled himself off Pyro and tossed the sword away. Then, he fell to his knees, panting. Pyro sat up and looked at him. X returned his gaze.  
  
"You stopped." Pyro noted.  
  
"I had to." X wheezed. "You're . . .you're my friend."  
  
Pyro looked at the ground. "I see . . .I see Abyss's will cannot conquer yours." He stood up and extended his hand to X. "Forgive me. I had to be sure."  
  
X stared at him for a minute, then took his hand. Once he stood, X punched Pyro in the jaw.  
  
"Forgiven." X said. Pyro had to smile.  
  
"Well," Shadow said, "Now that you're both sane again, can we get outta here?!"  
  
Brriinngg. Pyro's phone rang.  
  
"Pyro." He answered impatiently.  
  
"It's me." Veronica said.  
  
He sighed. "This probably isn't the best time." He said.  
  
"I think this may be important." She replied. "I was going to tell you earlier, but I had to run again."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"When Abyss came disguised as you, he asked for the numbers you gave me."  
  
Pyro didn't like that. "You told him, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah . . .sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault. He has a way with people."  
  
"Is this a problem?"  
  
Pyro sighed. "I don't know. Thanks. Bye." He hung up.  
  
"Who?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Veronica. Abyss came to her yesterday disguised as me."  
  
"What did he want with her?" X asked.  
  
"And how does she have your number?" Shadow asked suspiciously.  
  
Pyro sighed. "I gave it to her."  
  
Shadow slapped his forehead. "Are you nuts?!"  
  
"It . . .gets worse."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Abyss got the number from her...and the number to the ship."  
  
"To the ship?" X asked.  
  
"She HAD that number?!" Shadow exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah." Pyro sighed.  
  
Shadow threw his arms in the air, then punched Pyro in the same jaw that X had.  
  
"I guess I deserve that." Pyro said, rubbing his jaw.  
  
"And more! You gave the ships number to her? To ANYONE?!"  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Well," X said, "What use could Abyss have with the ship's phone number?"  
  
"Is it possible to find more about the ship from that number?" Pyro asked him.  
  
X thought. "For a Abyss? Quite possibly."  
  
"I think we should get back." Shadow said. They ran to the phone and exited.  
  
The boys were met with surprise when they opened their eyes. The side of the ship hit a tunnel wall and they fell out of their seats.  
  
"It's about time!!" Hero shouted as he fired his gun at the sentinel coming through the hole. "Grab a weapon!"  
  
The ship rumbled at the sound of a blast.  
  
"That can't be good." Shadow said. A few seconds later, a sentinel came in from the back. The boys pointed their guns, but it displayed a message.  
  
"One of the turrets was destroyed. There are just too many. You must use the EMP."  
  
"What about you?" Hero had to ask.  
  
"We've served out purpose. Do it now!"  
  
Hero nodded and charged it.  
  
"Captain." Hero said over the intercom. "The boys are out and the EMP is charged."  
  
"Punch it!! Punch it now!!"  
  
"Shouldn't you land first?"  
  
Riley was staring at a sentinel who had come through the cockpit roof.  
  
"I SAID PUNCH IT NOW!!"  
  
Hero did. A blue bubble of electricity erupted from the ship and expanded widely, disabling all sentinels. They fell to the ground with a metallic crash.  
  
But the ship was also disabled. All power left the engines and the ship went down.  
  
"BRACE YOURSELVES!!" Riley shouted.  
  
The ship crashed hard on its belly and slid along a good ways. People and objects were tossed every which way in the ship as it skidded along the ground. It slowed to a stop. Everything was quiet.  
  
Hero kicked a crate off himself and pulled himself onto his feet.  
  
"Everyone okay?" He called.  
  
"Asprin would be nice." Shadow said, standing up.  
  
"I second that." X said, popping up from behind one of the chairs. "Pyro?"  
  
Pyro walked in, rubbing his chest. "I hate machines."  
  
With more rattling, Captain Riley walked in. The sentinel had cut him up pretty bad and he'd been banged up from the crash, but he still walked in tall and proud.  
  
"Alright." He said. "Let's get to work."  
  
After the whole story was spilled, Pyro was suspended "until further notice" for attacking X and for giving the ship's number away, which, as they concluded, was how the sentinels knew where they were. Abyss must've informed some people.  
  
"Is it fixable?" Riley asked after Hero did a full check on the ship.  
  
"That depends." Hero replied, walking out from under the ship. "Is it fixable period? Yes. Is it fixable now? No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well, we can make some repairs, but without an alternate power source, there's no way we can fly this baby again."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"The sentinels hit the backup generator pretty hard. We can get the interior running so we don't freeze or starve to death out here, but there's absolutely no way we're going anywhere."  
  
Riley sighed. "Alright. Hero, you get that backup running so we can call for help. Pyro, Shadow, X, start working on fixing the holes in the ship."  
  
"Uh, captain?" Hero spoke up.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Our transmissions are gone. There's no way we're making a call."  
  
Riley rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, maybe we can get to someone through the Matrix."  
  
"Negative, sir. Not enough power."  
  
"So . . ." Shadow said, "Are we stuck here?"  
  
"It seems so." Riley said. He looked at Pyro. "Those sentinels knew exactly what to hit!"  
  
Pyro looked down. They started working.  
  
"This is all my fault." Pyro muttered.  
  
Shadow patted him on the back. "We all do stupid stuff from time to time."  
  
"Yeah, you were just trying to help someone." X added. "C'mon. You might make the captain happier by helping us get this done as fast as possible. We don't want anymore sentinels riding up on us."  
  
Pyro nodded. "Yeah. Let's get to work."  
  
They spent the rest of the day and part of the next fixing up the ship. Like Hero said, the interior was up and running, but not at full power. The Matrix feed was blank and nothing in the cockpit worked. But if they were attacked again, the guns wouldn't work, much less the EMP. Right now, they were sitting ducks.  
  
On the second day, they were all eating the noon meal. Everyone was on the edge. They hadn't all talked to each other much except for work.  
  
Finally, Shadow came up with something. "So . . .this, uh . . .this Abyss guy . . .he's really something, huh?"  
  
They couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"You should see him when he's really mad." Riley said.  
  
"How did you escape?" X asked him.  
  
Riley shook his head. "I don't know. Extreme luck or divine handling, one of the two. We tried fighting Abyss, but he was unbelievably powerful. "  
  
"So we gathered." Pyro snorted.  
  
"No." Riley said. "I think he was just toying with you three. When he attacked us, he went to kill. We soon realized that we couldn't defeat him like this, so we ran. But Abyss was there at every corner, every turn. He picked us off, one by one. Finally, I was all that was left.  
  
"No matter how hard I ran, he was always a step behind me. I couldn't escape, but that one step ahead could save me. He barred my paths, but I always found another. He threw what he could, but I was too quick. I never felt adrenaline like that before or since. He'd already beaten me pretty good, but I kept running. I never looked back, but I knew he was right behind me, which motivated me all the more.  
  
"Finally, there it was: my exit. I pulled a fake left, but then ran to the right. Amazingly, Abyss fell for it. I made it to the phone and, according to Hero, he smashed it instantly afterwards, nearly getting me.  
  
"I woke up with a tremendous headache. I couldn't fly the ship."  
  
"He passed out soon after." Hero said. "I called in for help and help came. They took us both back to Zion, where the captain was treated. His brain had apparently gone through a lot of trauma while in the Matrix and that's why the doctors said he shouldn't enter again at risk of déjà vu. When he could fly again, they took us back out here and we took the ship back to Zion to look for new recruits."  
  
"And that's how we found you three." Riley finished.  
  
"And you probably regret it, huh?" Pyro said. "Shadow dawdled with Shade, X is a virus backup, and I royally screwed us over. We're not exactly the best recruits."  
  
"No matter how much training you go through, nothing prepares you for the real thing. You three are still novices. Mistakes happen . . .not this big, usually, I admit, but still, mistakes happen." Then he added, "But I expect you to learn from them."  
  
"Yes, sir." They all said. "Good."  
  
There was a moment of silence. "So," Hero said, "What do we do about Abyss?"  
  
Riley shook his head. "That's one name I really don't need to hear right now."  
  
"Any ideas, X?" Shadow asked.  
  
"I'm working on it." He said.  
  
"You are?" More than one person asked.  
  
"Yeah, but I need more time . . .a lot more time. I'm gonna try and work non stop on my latest projects."  
  
"Plural?" Riley caught.  
  
"Yeah. If all goes well, one can save us. The other is a backup."  
  
"Can you tell us what they are?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Don't want to get your hopes up."  
  
"That good, huh?" Riley smiled.  
  
"I hope."  
  
"It's about time we heard some good news."  
  
Just then, a nearby computer screen began beeping a warning. Riley jumped up and looked at it.  
  
"Of course." He snorted. "Sentinels."  
  
Hero ran over and looked. "Small party. Less than twenty. Maybe they're ours?"  
  
"I won't take any chances. Everyone grab a gun and follow me."  
  
They each took an electric gun and took off. Riley opened the hatch and they all ran down the ramp.  
  
"Split up!" He said. They all did, each running behind different pieces of rubble.  
  
The small sentinel group came around the corner, but not as fast as their previous attackers. When they got close enough to see the ship, they stopped. They moved around a little, seeming to be discussing the situation. They slowly began hovering closer to the ship. They surrounded it and some went inside, but came back out dissatisfied. Then, they turned and looked about. They turned on lights from their domes.  
  
The crew knew they'd be discovered soon. There was only one way of knowing if they were on their side.  
  
Riley stepped out from his hiding spot, gun high.  
  
"Hey!" He said. The machines instantly turned to him, lights on him. Riley suddenly realized his disadvantage. With their lights on him, he couldn't see to aim. But then, one of the lights went off and a sentinel came up and projected a screen. It was the code for peace.  
  
Riley lowed his gun. "It's alright!" He called. The others came out and joined the captain. "How did you find us?"  
  
The sentinel typed, "One of the sentinels before sent us a message. It said your ship was being damaged and would need repair and surveillance."  
  
"We do." Riley said. "Most of the hull is fixed up, but our main problem is a lack of power. We need a boost."  
  
The machines discussed amongst themselves, then agreed.  
  
"We'll do it."  
  
Ten sentinels wrapped themselves around the ship in various parts and transferred their energy to the ship. Sparks flew and lights flickered, then the ship roared with life. But the ten sentinels fell to the ground, motionless. The other three paid little heed.  
  
"Anything else?" One asked. The crew looked at each other.  
  
"Just a few body repairs." Riley said. They got on it. "X, you can work on your big projects now."  
  
"You got it." He ran inside.  
  
"The rest of us will assist the machines."  
  
The ship was fixed soon enough and they were up and running again with three new sentinel passengers.  
  
X worked his butt off, but it was going to take some time, no matter how fast he worked. For another week and a half, he worked at the computer. The trio entered the Matrix a few times for small assignments, but nothing big, and they hadn't seen or heard from Abyss in an uncomfortable amount of time.  
  
Shadow hadn't seen Shade in weeks. He was starting to miss her.  
  
Pyro was beginning to wonder about Veronica. How was she surviving?  
  
X was glad he didn't have a woman to fret over, seeing as he had enough problems.  
  
Hero often watched X work, fascinated. But he had no idea what he was working on.  
  
Captain Riley was getting impatient. If Abyss could be destroyed, it had to be done as quickly as possible.  
  
Finally, X ran in to the meeting room with a smile on his face.  
  
"Done!!"  
  
Everyone jumped from their seats to see what he had.  
  
"Well?" Shadow asked. "What is it?"  
  
"Which do you want to know about first? The Hope or the Backup?"  
  
"Hope." Everyone said.  
  
"Alright." He held up a flash drive, similar to the X-Virus, but a different color. The virus was black. This one was blue. "Eureka!"  
  
"What is it?" Riley asked him.  
  
"The vaccine."  
  
"Vaccine?"  
  
"I began thinking, if Abyss was able to stop my virus, maybe I was too! I studied if for a long time and began putting pieces together, like one big puzzle. Of course, most was trial and error until I came up with the perfect combination."  
  
"So that thing can stop Abyss?" Pyro asked, anxiously.  
  
"I think."  
  
"You think?!"  
  
"Well, it hasn't been tested. But there's a small downside, even if it should work. The vaccine is the equal and opposite of the virus. They cancel each other out, leaving neither formula the victor."  
  
"So what's your plan?" Riley asked.  
  
"Upload me with the vaccine."  
  
"Are you sure it'll work?"  
  
"Positive. If I can get close enough to Abyss and fill him with the vaccine, it'll cancel him out."  
  
"And you."  
  
"No. I still have a human flesh, while Abyss has nothing but his viral self."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Hero said. "But what's your backup?"  
  
"Can't really call it that. It's just an addition to our initial entering programs. I've added a new set of weapons. I call them Data Grenades. Another too created from the X-Virus. It attacks the very fiber of the Matrix, deleting whatever it touches, nice and clean. Might be useful on Abyss."  
  
"Let's start with plan A." Riley said. "Now." He turned to Pyro. "You're going in too. I'm lifting your suspension. This could be dangerous."  
  
The boys sat in the chair and the sentinels set them up. Hero got the vaccine ready.  
  
"Should we be uploaded with the vaccine also?" Shadow asked.  
  
"No." X said. "My virus, my problem. If it has any side-effects I'm not aware of, I want to be the only one to endure them."  
  
"Your skin." Pyro said with a grin.  
  
X laughed. "Let's go."  
  
"Do it." Riley said. The machines plugged them in.  
  
In that instant, the Matrix feed went haywire. The code was scrambled and in pieces, flashing all over the screen.  
  
"What happened?!" Riley demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" Hero said. "We lost the feed!"  
  
But a few seconds later, it came back clearly. But something was wrong.  
  
Shadow and Pyro didn't know of anything being wrong until they got into the Matrix. The Matrix itself was fine, just the feed was screwy.  
  
"Okay." Pyro said. "Let's find Abyss."  
  
Shadow noticed it first. "Where's X?"  
  
Pyro turned. X wasn't with them. "X?" He called.  
  
A second later, Shadow's phone rang.  
  
"Shadow."  
  
"Please tell me X is just hidden." Hero pleaded.  
  
"Nope. He's not here."  
  
"How did he just disappear?"  
  
Pyro's phone rang next. "Hello?"  
  
"This is Seraph. You must come to the Oracle's home at once." He hung up.  
  
Pyro gave the news to Shadow, who told Hero. Hero told them where to go.  
  
"She knew this would happen." Shadow said with a sigh. "Figures."  
  
"Whatever." Pyro said, a little irritated, "Let's go."  
  
X's eyes fluttered open. Bright light! He shut them again, then began slowly opening them so he could get used to the light. It wasn't so much the bright light that hurt his eyes as it was the bright white walls which reflected it. X sat up and looked around. He was on a concrete floor and white tile walls a were in front of him and to his left. To his right was a drop off onto a set of railroad tracks.  
  
He was in some sort of underground train station, he soon figured.  
  
But Pyro and Shadow weren't here. He was along. Well, not alone. Sitting on a bench, there was one other person, an elderly black woman holding her purse. She waved to him and X waved back.  
  
"Have a nice sleep?" She asked.  
  
"Uh . . ." X replied. "Where am I?"  
  
"The Train Station."  
  
X raised a brow, then flipped on Neovision. But to his surprise, nothing happened. There was no code to see. Everything looked the same.  
  
"This isn't the Matrix." He noted.  
  
"No, it isn't." The woman said. "It's a place between your world and mine. It's used to smuggle programs throughout the Matrix."  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"Your mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it came here by accident."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"You don't have to yet." The woman smiled.  
  
X cocked his head. That tone in her voice was familiar. "Do I know you?"  
  
"Yes, you do." She said. "I'm the Oracle."  
  
X didn't believe her. This woman's skin was much darker than that of the Oracle he knew.  
  
"What . . .how?" X asked.  
  
She sighed. "Abyss."  
  
"He found you?"  
  
"He did. He tried using me to see into the future."  
  
X didn't like the sound of that. "What did he see?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"He saw nothing and became irritated, so he deleted me." She smiled. "But he's not the only one who can create a backup of himself."  
  
"But you had to take on a new appearance."  
  
"It's not the first time." She assured him.  
  
"But . . .how did he see nothing?"  
  
"Because I can't see past my own lifetime, you know! I knew he was going to delete me whether he saw something or not, so there was nothing left for him to find but my end, which he executed." Then, she said, "Why don't you sit down here?"  
  
X nodded and sat down next to her and removed his glasses, seeing no use for them here.  
  
"What exactly was he looking for?" X asked her.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe he's trying to see whether or not he'll win this battle."  
  
"He's uncertain?"  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
"That may help us." X then changed the subject. "How exactly did I get here?"  
  
"What were you doing when you entered the Matrix?"  
  
X thought. "Well, I was being uploaded with a vaccine as to stop Abyss."  
  
"That may have something to do with it."  
  
"But what?" X wanted to know.  
  
"The question you need to ask now is 'how are you going to get back?'"  
  
He gave her that one. "This place smuggles programs in, right? Maybe I can hitch a ride."  
  
"That depends on the Trainman."  
  
"Trainman?"  
  
"He created this place. If you want a ride, you must take it up with him."  
  
Then, they heard the train's deep whistle.  
  
"There it is." The Oracle said. She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. X put on his glasses again. He didn't know if his viral powers would work here, but he still had his staff, which would probably be his best option.  
  
The white train rushed into the station and came to a stop. One of the double doors opened and a tall, ugly hobo stepped out.  
  
"Come on, you!" he sneered to the Oracle. She walked in. X tried, but the Trainman stopped him. "Who are you?!" He hissed.  
  
"A passenger." X said.  
  
The Trainman's eyes narrowed. "Wait...I know who you are!" He smiled through his twisted, yellow teeth. "Yes!" he said. "Of course you can get on the train!"  
  
"Thank you." X said. But suddenly, the Trainman swung an uppercut right into his gut. X flew up to the ceiling, breaking a few pieces of concrete and fell onto his stomach. The Trainman picked him up and threw him inside the train.  
  
X was groggy for a minute. He soon found himself strapped to a train seat and the Trainman was on the phone, talking to someone, but X's dizzy brain couldn't calculate it. He looked at the Oracle, who was helpless to aid him.  
  
Soon, the train stopped.  
  
"Alright," The Trainman said to the Oracle. "Get off!" She did so, giving one last look at X. He looked back down.  
  
"X!" A familiar voice called. He looked up and saw Pyro and Shadow running for the train. But the doors closed and the train was off instantly. The Trainman waved goodbye with a smile.  
  
X's journey continued on for a little while longer. Then, X got an idea that he should've thought of a while ago. He was in the Matrix again, so his powers could work again. He gripped the tight ropes in his hand.  
  
"Break." He commanded.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
X grew fearful. "Break." Still nothing. Why wouldn't it work?!  
  
Then, the Trainman cut him loose, then retied the ropes behind his back as the train slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, X beheld Abyss.  
  
"Welcome back." Abyss grinned.  
  
Shadow and Pyro had gone to the Oracle's house, but only found Satie and Seraph.  
  
"Where is she?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Not here." Seraph said. "Come with me."  
  
Seraph took the wheel, Pyro rode shotgun and Satie and Shadow were in the back. Seraph explained to them about how Abyss came in.  
  
"The Oracle told us to leave before he came and to call you at a certain time. We will meet her at the Train Station nearby."  
  
He found the place and parked the car. For a train station, it was pretty deserted. They ran in just as the train was opening its doors. The Oracle stepped out. Pyro got a peek in the train.  
  
"X!" He shouted. X looked up at them. He was bound to a seat. Pyro and Shadow ran for the train, but the doors closed and the train went off. A tall, ugly, long-haired hobo waved them goodbye with a grin.  
  
"Where's that train going?!" Pyro demanded.  
  
"To the airport." The Oracle said. They looked at her.  
  
"Oracle?"  
  
"I had to take on a different appearance." She said. "Part of life."  
  
"What happened to X?" Shadow asked.  
  
"His mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it went to the Train Station, a world between yours and this one."  
  
"Why couldn't he enter the Matrix?"  
  
"You'll have to ask him. The Trainman is taking him to the airport, where Abyss will be waiting."  
  
"Figures." Pyro muttered.  
  
"You'll have to act quickly. Abyss will try to take him far way from anyone's reach. And Abyss won't be alone. He'll have many deadly programs to aid him."  
  
"Can't X use his powers to stop him?"  
  
"Not anymore."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You must learn that from him. Now, go."  
  
"We're gonna need more artillery for an airport." Shadow said.  
  
"Taken care of." Seraph said. He opened the trunk of the car.  
  
Airport Security is tight.  
  
Airport Security is tough.  
  
Airport Security is the worst job to have in the Matrix.  
  
"Remember." Shadow said, keeping his trench coat covered. "Gate D22."  
  
"It's a long ways from here . . .what fun." Pyro smiled.  
  
They'd almost reached the A gates before they were stopped by three security guards.  
  
"Excuse me." One said to them. The boys stopped. "Could you two come with us please?"  
  
"Why?" Pyro asked.  
  
"Just come with us." He put his hand on his gun.  
  
They fought to restrain from laughing.  
  
"Listen, officers," Shadow said, "We're in a hurry and our gate is right there. Why don't you let their security deal with it?"  
  
"Are you resisting airport security?" One asked.  
  
"No, I'm just allowing you three to go back to your jobs and let the gate security do theirs."  
  
The officers found themselves in a bind.  
  
"We've been ordered to take you in." one finally said.  
  
Pyro and Shadow shook their heads in disbelief.  
  
"Now," Pyro spoke up. "If you were real cops, you'd have said that right away. If you were programs trying to stall us, you'd have just made that up."  
  
The officers looked at each other, then went for their guns.  
  
Pyro whipped out an AR-15 in each hand and opened fire on the false cops. Then, he continued firing on the other officers and Shadow joined him with a M-249. The innocent citizens ran for their lives while the false cops were gunned down for a full minute.  
  
When the dust settled, Shadow looked at the two large automatic rifles in Pyro's hands.  
  
"I thought you only needed a pistol."  
  
Pyro looked at him. "Yeah. 'Need'. But what I wouldn't do for a mini gun right now."  
  
Shadow laughed and they began running. Abyss would soon know about them. They had to hurry.  
  
There were so many programs in disguise that Shadow and Pyro were certain they hit a few real cops as well . . .not that they cared much. This was war.  
  
The B gates were lined with many more guards as well, but the guys eliminated them all with ease. The C gates were a problem, though.  
  
There were about twenty of them, the guys assumed. Thinking they had weapons, the guys jumped off the walls, flipping off them, shooting madly. They were sure to have hit almost, if not all the programs, but somehow, when the guys landed again, all of the programs still just stood there, smiling. They fired again, watching the bullets hit them, but still nothing happened.  
  
"They're immune!" Pyro said.  
  
"Wait, look!" Shadow said. "They look like vampires . . .and werewolves."  
  
Pyro thought and pulled from his coat a revolver lined with silver bullets and a long, sharp wooden stake.  
  
"Huh. Now I know why Seraph gave us these." Pyro said as the programs ran at him.  
  
Shadow and Pyro fired a few times, killing four werewolves, then each struck two vampires.  
  
Pyro tucked the gun away and swiped at two more vampires, who jumped over his stake. A werewolf charged at him and Pyro performed a backflip kick, then kicked it into a vampire, then rolled on, stabbing the stake through the werewolf and into the vampire, then shot the werewolf and one more.  
  
Shadow spun into a stab to kill a vampire, then blocked two kicks from another. A werewolf tackled him. Shadow went with it, flipping him over and shot the werewolf in the head, then shot two more, backflipping to evade a vampire's foot. He shot the foot, then threw the gun away to easily stab the vampire's heart.  
  
Pyro bent back to avoid a vampire jumping right over him, then put his hands on the ground behind his head and flipped back to strike his heart before he could counter attack. He pulled the revolver back out and shot down the last were wolf. Shadow threw his stake and struck a vampire down, then finished off the last.  
  
"C'mon." Pyro said. They kept put their weapons away and continued running to the D gates. They burst through the gate security, alarms blaring, but they really didn't care. They tore through security and ran down the gates.  
  
As expected, there was another party of programs right at the gate they needed.  
  
"We don't have time for this!" Shadow said.  
  
Pyro reached into his coat and pulled out the friendly item that X had given him: The Data Grenade. Like any other grenade, he pulled the pin and threw it. The boys jumped back, not sure just how powerful it was. They heard a dull blast, but no rumbling, no shaking, no shouting, and no grand explosion. Just the dull blast. Pyro and Shadow looked back at where the grenade had landed.  
  
Where the gate had been, there was now just a large, perfectly cut gap in the airport. The programs were gone. Pyro and Shadow looked down from the edge of the hole at the ground below.  
  
"A perfect cut." Shadow observed in awe.  
  
Pyro snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"  
  
Shadow looked up, out the window. The plane was gone. "They're gone!"  
  
Pyro's phone rang. "They're already gone."  
  
"No!" Hero corrected. "They're just going to the runway! Hurry and you can catch them!"  
  
Pyro hung up. "They're on the taxiway! C'mon!" They jumped down from the gate and landed on the concrete ground.  
  
"What the?!" A cop on the ground asked.  
  
Pyro shot them both in the legs, knocking them down and they jumped in the vehicle and took off.  
  
"Where are they?!" Shadow asked Hero.  
  
"On the runway!! On you right, parallel to you!" Shadow looked over.  
  
"There!" He pointed to a plane beginning its trip down the runway. Pyro zoomed across the grass and onto the runway.  
  
"Can you take it out?" Pyro asked him.  
  
"I might be able to take out the tires." Shadow replied, holding an M-203, which was an automatic weapon with a grenade launcher under the barrel. A Data Grenade was ready.  
  
Pyro looked back. They were way ahead of the small plane, but it was gaining speed fast. Pyro looked ahead again and realized something.  
  
"SHOOT!!" He slammed the brakes.  
  
"What?!" Shadow demanded.  
  
"We're too far up! By the time you fire, it'll be in the air!"  
  
Shadow looked forward, then back at the oncoming plane. "Go backwards."  
  
Pyro did so, slamming the accelerator.  
  
"We still might be too far ahead if we stop." Shadow said. "Just keep going." He aimed the gun.  
  
"I'll fly right past us!"  
  
"Then it's a good thing I'm the one firing, isn't it?" Pyro admitted Shadow was an excellent marksman, but this was too risky.  
  
"Make that shot." Pyro ordered.  
  
Shadow's head was out the window, watching the plane come at them.  
  
"Steady," He told himself. "Wait for it . . ."  
  
Pyro did his best to keep the vehicle steady as he flew backwards down the runway. He held his breath.  
  
Shadow fired. The grenade flew from the gun and struck the tire right smack dab in the center. As the wheel exploded, the blast caught a piece of the car and the ground. Without the wheel, the plane fell forward and crashed its nose into the ground, skidding along to a stop.  
  
Pyro and Shadow chased after the skidding plane and quickly caught up. They jumped out of the car, guns ready. The roof of the plane suddenly burst open and Abyss jumped out and landed on the runway, X in hand.  
  
"One false move and he dies!" Abyss threatened.  
  
"He won't do it." Shadow whispered. "He needs X."  
  
"Drop your weapons!" Abyss commanded.  
  
"He might hurt him, though." Pyro observed. "Do as he says." They put their weapons down.  
  
Abyss grinned and began walking towards them.  
  
BLAM!! A piece of Abyss's head flew off and he fell to the ground.  
  
"What?!" They asked.  
  
"No time for questions!" X said. "Cut me loose!" Pyro did so and the guys began running. A black car quickly pulled up to them and opened the doors. One agent was driving and the other was riding shotgun with a Sniper Rifle. The boys got in and drove away to the exit.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. My computer was screwing me over for a while. A great plan finally formed to defeat Abyss and now this happens. But why did it happen? And how will this effect X's plans? Find out in the next chapter. Please review! 


	11. DELETE

Chapter Eleven: DELETE

"Is everyone alright?" Riley asked as the boys came back to the real world.

"Yeah." They answered.

"Good." He sat down. "Now, what happened?"

"According to the Oracle," X said, "My mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it went to the Train Station."

"But why couldn't your mind enter the Matrix?" Riley asked.

"I don't know." X admitted. "I wish I knew."

"So do all of us."

"So . . ." Shadow spoke up, "Did it not work?"

"Apparently not," Hero said, "When X returned to the Matrix, there was no trace of the vaccine in him, which, I think, has something to do with why you went to the Train Station and not the Matrix. It must've interfered with your programming."

"Maybe." X said with a shrug.

"So that idea didn't work." Pyro sighed. "But the grenades did. And by the way," He turned to the sentinels, "Thanks."

They nodded.

"So what do we do now?" Shadow asked.

"We sleep on it." Riley said, "And I mean it. It's late and we've done a lot of work. We'll decide what to do in the morning."

They silently got up and went to bed, feeling a sense of defeat.

X was bugged, deeply. He couldn't understand why the vaccine didn't work. It should've worked. It had no side-effects on humans that he knew of, and he hadn't been hurt by the vaccine at all. What was the problem?

He pondered and pondered, stretching the limits of his brain.

"It should've worked." He whispered to no one. "It should've worked."

So why didn't it?

Why would it interfere with human programming? It wasn't designed for that. It was designed to take out Abyss . . .Abyss. The virus. The vaccine. Abyss. The Virus. The Vaccine. Abyss. The Vaccine. The Virus. Virus. Abyss. Abyss. Virus. Abyss. Virus. Vaccine. Abyss. Virus. Abyss.

The Backup.

X knocked lightly on the sentinel's dome. Its red light eyes came on and looked up at him. X waved sheepishly. The sentinel made a typing screen.

"You should be asleep."

"I know." X responded. "But I need to do something and I need to do it alone. However, I'm going to need your help."

Pyro had been awake when X left the room, but he paid no heed. But when he didn't come back for a long time, he got curious. Still, he waited. Finally, he couldn't stand it and got up to search.

"Wondering where he is too?" Shadow asked from his bed.

"You're awake?"

Shadow got up. "Yep. C'mon. Let's find him."

They first when to the Matrix room, figuring that's where he'd be. To their surprise, they found X in a Matrix chair with a sentinel working the station.

"What the?!" Pyro exclaimed. The sentinel turned in surprise. "What's going on?"

The sentinel displayed its story.

"X is fighting Abyss."

X picked up a rock and threw it, hitting Abyss's window.

"Come on!" He shouted, throwing another rock. This one went right through the window. "Come out here!"

Abyss opened the window and leaned on the sill.

"X! Didn't expect to see you tonight, especially on your own free will! What's the occasion?"

X grabbed another rock and chucked it at Abyss's head. Abyss ducked back inside and then came back out.

"And so aggressive, too! Why the change?"

"Come out here and fight me!"

Abyss rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright." He came out the bottom door only a second later, taking the "hacker's shortcut". He closed the door behind him and walked over towards X.

Riley wasn't happy. "YOU LET HIM GO?!"

"His plan was convincing." The sentinel explained.

"And what plan was that?"

"He was going to use his vaccine to destroy Abyss."

"We already tried that, it sent him to the Train Station!"

"Not this time." The sentinel said. "He made it to the Matrix."

Riley calmed down a bit. "He did?"

"Yes. X's theory was correct."

"Theory?" Pyro asked.

"X theorized that Hero was correct in assuming that the vaccine interfered with his programming. But he wondered why. It wasn't designed to affect humans; only the virus. Then, it hit him. X had a piece of the virus inside himself. When entering the Matrix, the vaccine was introduced to him and did what it was made to do: attack the virus."

"It attacked the backup." Shadow translated. "Of course!"

"Why is it the obvious things that we never see?" Hero asked in frustration.

The sentinel continued, "X also realized something else. Even when he went into the Matrix, his viral powers no longer worked."

"So . . .it worked." Pyro observed. "The vaccine worked!"

"Exactly. The virus was overcome, but Hero didn't see the vaccine because, as X stated, the two opposing forces cancelled each other out."

"But it works." Riley said. "Then we have a chance after all!"

"That's why X entered the Matrix." The sentinel wrapped up. "He knew he'd make it this time because the virus was no longer a part of him. He could upload himself with the vaccine and fight Abyss. I helped him enter the Matrix."

"But why did he go alone?" Riley wanted to know. "It makes no sense to fight alone."

"To X, it did." The sentinel disagreed. "Abyss doesn't know that his backup has been deleted."

Everyone looked at each other.

"So he thinks he still needs him." Pyro said.

"So he'll be looking for him." Shadow added.

"And Abyss cannot kill him." Hero put in.

"And he didn't want anyone getting hurt." Riley finished.

"Wow." Shadow said. "I thought it was just the virus, but the kid can really think!"

"But he has no backup." Pyro countered. "If Abyss finds out he doesn't have the virus in him anymore, he'll have no reason to keep him alive."

"Then we'll have to hope that X gets to Abyss before he finds out." Riley said.

Pyro shook his head. "I can't take that risk." He looked at Hero. "Plug me in."

"What?!" Hero exclaimed.

"Me too." Shadow offered.

"Do you two have a death wish?"

"Only if need be." Pyro smartly replied.

Hero held his hand up to his forehead. "Abyss has had it up to here with you all. He sees you again, he's not holding back. He'll slaughter you."

"It's a risk we're willing to take. Load us with the vaccine also and we'll triple our chances of deleting Abyss once and for all."

"You're both crazy." Hero said.

"I like it." Riley said.

"What?!"

"They have a point. If you load them all with the vaccine, Abyss will be outnumbered. Plus, we'll keep the sentinels ready if they need Agent help."

The boys nodded. They went to their seats.

"All alone?" Abyss asked X with a small grin. "Where are your friends?"

"They don't know I'm here." X replied. "I didn't want them getting involved."

"I see. If this is true, you're a fool. If not, you're still a fool. But lets see which is which." He shot his hand out to X, but to his surprise, X retaliated.

X swung his arm up, smacking the hand away, then ran up Abyss's chest and kicked him in the face, backflipped from it, then planted both feet on Abyss's chest, knocking him way back to the apartment building, where the impact of his body broke a few bricks.

X had no idea where that power had come from. Then he remembered that against Abyss, his powers were amplified.

Abyss got up, equally surprised. "Very nice!" He complimented. "You're learning to use your own powers. I see you've figured yourself out."

"More than you know." X threatened. They ran at each other.

X jumped clear over Abyss and he spun around, kicking X's chest, but X jumped back to avoid the next blow, then punched his face twice. Abyss ducked under the third and gave a mighty uppercut, sending X flying into the sky. He jumped up with him and grabbed his collar, then spun around and threw him to the ground. X landed on a car.

Abyss landed softly on the ground.

"Why do you fight me, X? It's not going to get you anywhere! You may have a piece of me wedged in you, but it's not enough to take on the real thing."

X peeled himself off the car and fell onto the sidewalk.

"No, it's not." X admitted. He slowly got back up. "But it could just help."

Abyss rolled his eyes. "Your poor human brain is so feeble. Of course it couldn't hope to see that I am indestructible. What would you do if you _did_ destroy me? You'd take my place, that's what! You know, that might actually be interesting, watching you kill your own friends." He smiled. X charged.

Abyss gathered his power into his fist and waited. When X was close enough, he struck. But, quick as lightning, X ducked under and slid on his knees until he was right under him. He swung the same uppercut and launched Abyss to the sky. He jumped up high to meet Abyss and swung a few kicks, then threw him to the ground.

X landed with ease and stared at Abyss. He was floating a foot or two off the ground, then pulled himself up to hover upright over the ground.

"You can fly?" X asked, amazed.

Abyss nodded, then reeled back and launched. He tackled X, picking him up along the way and flew up high with him, then circled in the air and increased his speed. In front of a building, he suddenly stopped and released X. X kept going and crashed through a window and flew a good distance into the office before hitting the floor.

Abyss floated in and came over to the pained X. He picked him up and threw him into a wall, then ran over and rammed him into it. He caught X as he fell down the and threw him across the room into the opposite wall, then ran over and kicked him back up into it, then gave one last kick, slamming him through what was left of the wall.

Abyss walked through the wall and looked down at the pitiful human below him. With one hand, he picked him up by his throat and he pulled the other back.

"Now, sleep."

But when he tried to thrust his hand into him, X grabbed Abyss's other hand and jumped up in a front flip motion, flipping right over the hand and bending his back to allow his feet to land on either side of Abyss's head, then twisted his legs, breaking the neck. Abyss toppled and X flipped off, then fell to his knees.

Abyss got up angrily and grabbed an office chair and threw it at X. He groaned, but jumped up and flailed over it. Abyss grabbed the entire desk and threw it at him. X bent backwards to avoid it. When he came back up, he met Abyss's fist. X fell back and Abyss punched him down the rest of the way, then picked him up, threw him up in the air and jumped into a spinning kick, knocking him through the window. They were several stories up, so X was going to have a very painful landing.

But then, something soft stopped him and he flew another way and landed on the ground with ease.

"You know you're an idiot, right?" X turned and beheld Pyro and Shadow.

"What are you doing here?" X asked them.

"Helping you." Shadow said.

"How did you . . .?"

"We saw you leave." Pyro explained. "Then we talked to the sentinel. We found out your story and decided to help you."

"He won't kill me." X said. "But you two he won't bother spare!"

"Don't you know just better than that? We're willing to run that risk."

X sighed, not knowing what to say. They were not going to leave and that was that.

They all felt it at once and looked up, then jumped away. Abyss smashed into the ground where they'd been standing.

"So they did come!" Abyss said.

"Yeah!" Shadow said, standing. "And we're not leaving until you're dead."

"We'll all be here a while then." Abyss cracked his knuckles.

Shadow ran up, spinning his twin blades rapidly. Abyss jumped back and blocked a few strikes, then backflipped to kick him back and avoid Pyro's stab. Pyro balanced on his sword and spun around, kicking Abyss into X's waiting punch.

Abyss landed on his hands and spun his feet around in the air to kick back both boys, then landed and gave a mighty uppercut to Shadow as he struck. Abyss ripped a piece of concrete from the ground and threw it at them.

Pyro jumped up and spun his sword, slicing through the concrete. Both pieces flew off on either side of him.

X looked at him. "You guys have been uploaded too?"

"Yep."

Abyss glared and stomped the ground, knocking the boys to the ground from the shockwaves. He charged for them.

Pyro catapulted up and sliced, but Abyss dodged and struck back with a strong punch, knocking him away. Shadow got a few slices in before being knocked away. X faced off with Abyss.

"I don't know what it is you're trying to accomplish," Abyss said, "But it won't help you!"

Abyss swung, but X ducked and countered with two flipping kicks, then spun a low one, then a high. Pyro took it from there, giving a Tornado Kick to force him into Shadow's bladed backflips. Finally, all three boys ran in a kicked him from a different angel, crushing him in the middle. Abyss hit the ground.

Then, Abyss REALLY hit the ground. The pavement exploded, sending the boys their separate ways. Abyss jumped and floated in the air, looking for them.

X got up and shook his head. He saw Abyss floating.

"Flight." He sighed. "Something I hadn't counted on." But then he thought. "I made this vaccine to perfectly counter Abyss . . .maybe . . ."

Abyss saw X and flew for him. X began running with all his might. When they were close enough, X jumped, arms outstretched, and flew up to meet Abyss. They collided and the street was ripped from the shockwave of power.

X punched Abyss twice, then backflipped, kicking him. Abyss performed a bicycle kick, then rammed into him, forcing him away. X flipped back a ways, then zoomed forward again, already getting used to his powers.

Abyss got ready to strike, but Pyro flew in and tackled him, then Shadow tackled him from the other side. The dual attack knocked him off balance and he couldn't regain composure before X collided and carried him right into the wall of a high building. He kicked off him, flipping back and let Abyss fall.

Abyss caught himself and looked at the three boys flying around in the air. They all charged at him. Abyss flew up. The boys followed. He grabbed a piece of a building and ripped it off, throwing it at them. They all avoided it and continued their pursuit. Suddenly, Abyss jolted away horizontally, faster than the boys could see.

He stopped and his eyes glowed red. This was something he'd never tried before.

"DYYAAHH!!" He roared. As he expected, lighting leapt from the clouds and struck the boys in mid-air. Then, he created a great gust and blew them away.

"What the?!" Shadow exclaimed.

"He can control the Matrix itself!" X reiterated. "That includes the weather!"

Lightning struck again, but this time, X caught it and threw it back at Abyss. He was struck by his own might and stunned by it.

"What is this?!" Abyss hissed to himself. "They use my own powers against me!"

He flew at them again and they returned the attack. All three of them grabbed hold of Abyss and flew up high, then turned and went downward. They increased their speed with each second and the ground became nearer and nearer. At the last second, they let go, but Abyss surprised them. Like lightning, he shot his arms out and grabbed Pyro and Shadow, bringing them with him. All three hit the ground. X flew up again, not knowing what had happened.

Abyss grunted as he pushed himself up onto his fists. Shadow and Pyro were hurt and couldn't yet get up.

"Human fools." He hissed. "How you two were able to fly, I do not know, but it ends now!" he grabbed them by their collars and stood them up. He rammed a hand into each of them. "Now, DIE!!"

But at that command, the vaccine kicked in. There were flashes of red and blue as the power collided.

"What . . .?" Abyss wondered as the boys twitched and writhed. Suddenly, with a white flash, Shadow and Pyro flew one way and Abyss flew the other.

Abyss jumped back up, inspecting himself. "What was that?!"

Pyro and Shadow struggled to stand, feeling significantly weaker. A second later, Pyro's phone rang.

"What?" He groaned.

"You and Shadow need to leave." Hero said.

"What?! Why?!"

"The vaccine is gone. When Abyss tried deleting you, the vaccine protected you, but that's all it could do. The next time, he'll succeed." He told them where an exit was. "Hey, head's up!"

Pyro looked up and saw Abyss flying right at them.

Shadow took over, pulling out the Pulse Rifle and fired the Data Grenade he had stored for such an instance.

Abyss grabbed the grenade, which did NOT detonate, and kept going. He reeled back and kicked them both away, then landed and looked at the grenade, which he'd stopped from going off.

"Nice try." He said. "But not nice enough." He began transferring his own power to the grenade, filing it with viral energy. "Goodbye." He said with an evil grin. Then, he tossed the super-charged Data Grenade.

However, as soon as he threw it, X shot past him. He grabbed Shadow and Pyro and flew up and away. He looked back as the grenade went off. Abyss had flown the other way as it detonated and quickly discovered the wisdom in his action.

The explosion was far too massive to be a grenade. The explosion must've gone on for at least a mile. X flew up higher, just to be safe. When it was done, they looked down and saw a perfect hole in the world, leading to a black nothingness.

"Geez." Shadow gasped.

"Incredible." Pyro said in awe.

"Unbelievable." X whispered.

Shadow's phone rang.

"What happened?" Hero asked with a horrific calm tone.

"Abyss . . .he amplified the Data Grenade and . . .this!"

"You guys get out of there, X too. We'll try again later. That's Riley's order." He hung up.

"We have to go." Shadow said. He told X where to go and he flew there.

Pyro answered the phone and vanished. Shadow reset it and looked at X. "You have to come too, Riley's order."

X nodded and Shadow vanished. X picked up the receiver and ripped it from the phone and flew back to the destruction site.

"He's not coming back, is he?" Shadow asked.

"Nope." Riley said. "Didn't think he would."

"Then why did you even try?"

Riley pointed to the screen. "Look." They looked and their eyes shot open.

Abyss stared at the hole in the earth, awed.

"Inconceivable." He whispered. Then, he looked up and saw X fly down and land next to him. "Why do I have the feeling you had something to do with this?"

"What makes you think that?" X asked.

"That was no ordinary grenade. I improved it, but I didn't expect it to do THAT! Look at it! It cut through-"

"The very fiber of the Matrix itself." X finished. "I know. I created it to do that."

"Very nice." Abyss complimented. "But now, we have a problem." He looked at the hole.

X turned and looked. He squinted his eyes and ran closer to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't.

The hole was expanding.

He flipped on Neovision and saw the code being eaten away by an expanding red viral hole eating away at it.

"My God." X whispered.

"Exactly." Abyss said. "Perhaps your grenades were more effective than you planned."

"No." X said. "I've seen them work." He pointed a finger at Abyss. "You altered it! You filled it with your viral powers, so now it's a giant expanding virus, eating away at everything!"

Abyss looked at the hole, then back at X. "Bummer."

X's phone rang. He answered it. "What?!"

"Do you see what's happening?" Riley asked calmly.

"Yeah. I see it."

"What do you make of the situation?"

"The virus will keep expanding. The hole will increase in size. Everything it touches will be delete, piece by piece. Soon enough, it will consume the entire Matrix." He glared at Abyss as he said it.

"Is there any way to stop it?"

X hesitated. "Call you back." He hung up and squared off with Abyss.

"Well," Abyss said. "It appears we may both die here. The question is . . .who dies first?"

X clenched his fists. "I've had enough of you." He charged full speed and Abyss returned. But at the last second, X ducked under and flew off as fast as he could.

_Brriiinngg!!_

"Operator." Hero answered.

"It's X!"

"X! Do you know how to stop the virus?"

"Not from here or any computer I can access in the Matrix. We need the machines' computers. They hold the codes for the Matrix itself. Inject the Matrix with the vaccine! Then, they can rewrite the Matrix as they've always done!"

"The machines' computers . . .you mean in the Machine City?!"

"Do you have a problem with that?!" X demanded. "Get going! Now!! Hurry to-"

The line suddenly went dead. Hero reported the message to Riley.

Riley looked at the sentinels.

"How far are we from the Machine City?"

One opened its satellites. "Quite a ways."

"We need to get there-and fast!" He explained the situation.

"There is one path we can take." A sentinel spoke up. "We are only a few kilometers from Zion. Go there and we can take the tunnel." It meant the tunnel the machines used to assault Zion before the truce. It was never sealed off.

"The ship cannot fit in there." Riley protested.

"We'll take the vaccine straight up to the city."

Riley's eyes narrowed. It would be very quick, but he wasn't sure if he could trust these machines with X's vaccine. He pondered the idea for a while.

"I want Pyro and Shadow to go too."

The sentinels looked at each other then back at Riley.

"Agreed, but the only way they can is to ride us."

"Then they'd better hang on tight." He ran to the cockpit. "To Zion!"

Abyss had finally caught up with X and tackled him, then threw the phone away. It shattered when it hit the ground.

The two of them wrestled in the air for a bit, then Abyss kicked him away. X flipped a few times, then caught himself and charged.

"Just like before." Abyss smiled as he charged. They rammed hard into each other, the force sending a great shockwave out into the air.

Abyss kicked X in the ribs, then punched him backwards. X couldn't stop himself before Abyss caught him again and knocked him downward. X went with it and continued downward, Abyss following. Suddenly, X stopped in mid air and reeled back his feet, then kicked Abyss in the face, knocking him back up.

X smiled, but was then struck by lightning again. He landed on the ground and suddenly, a fissure opened in the ground and he fell in. The earth closed around his chest just in time. X was stuck.

Abyss jumped up and flew at him, top speed. X knew he was in a bind and got onto working a plan. He put all his energy into his fist and waited. Abyss close in, flying closer and closer. As soon as he saw the whites of Abyss's eyes, X shot his fist up through the concrete and punched Abyss in the jaw. He flew off course and crashed into a building. X burst out of the ground and got ready for more.

As he got up, Abyss grabbed a piece of concrete and threw it at X. To his surprise, X punched right through it. The broken pieces fell around him.

"How does he do this?" Abyss wondered. Then, he asked himself another question. "Let's see the limits of his abilities." He began ripping out concrete from the ground and threw them at him.

Zion was near.

"This is Captain Riley, requesting emergency clearance to gate one."

"One moment, Captain."

"I don't have a moment!" He replied. But he had to wait anyway.

"Clearance granted. Security to gate one standing down." Riley saw the door opening. "Gate one is open, _Genesis_. Welcome home."

"Yeah, yeah." Riley groaned, hurrying through the gate. As soon as they were in, Riley opened the hatch, not waiting to land. Once it was open, he gave the command over the intercom.

"Go! Go! Go!"

The people in Zion watched as five sentinels flew from the ship, two carrying human passengers, and flew up through the tunnel.

Shadow and Pyro were having the ride of their lives. They were strapped to the sentinels by their tentacles. Pyro held onto the vaccine tightly. A sentinel had given the Machine City the message. They would be ready for them.

At the speed the sentinels were traveling, it only took a moment to go through the tunnel. They emerged only a short ways from the city. As they neared it, Shadow and Pyro stared in awe, then looked at each other.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Shadow said.

Pyro looked around. "In this place, you never know." He grinned. "We just might be!"

Riley landed the ship in its dock, but couldn't shut it down until X was back.

"How is it?" He asked, coming back to Hero.

"See for yourself." They watched the fight.

X had been dodging debris for a little while and was sick of it. Finally, he jumped up and over a piece, then kicked through the next and continued the kick to land on Abyss's head. X landed and spun, kicking Abyss again, then punched him rapidly five times.

Abyss grabbed the fifth punch and returned it, then gave three of his own. He swung his knee up, bashing X's gut, knocking the wind from him, then picked him up and threw him into the building next to him, then punched him through it. He charged in himself and grabbed X and flew through the other side of it, then brought him up and forced him through the second floor, then the third, then the fourth. On the fifth, X finally got a punch to Abyss's face and escaped his clutches, as well as the building.

Abyss circled around to find his prey once again. But just as he came around a corner, X jumped out and kicked his face, knocking him off balance. He grabbed Abyss, spun around and slammed him into another wall, then planted many lightning-quick punches to his ribs. Abyss flung his feet up and kicked him up, then they both swung a punch. The power knocked them both back several feet.

X flew lower to the ground for more safety and circled around the building, but Abyss found him and dove at great speed. He tackled X into the ground and dragged him through the ground, creating a long trench before X finally backflipped and kicked Abyss over his head. X jumped into the air and backflipped in the air and shot down like a bullet and rammed Abyss into the concrete and bounced off.

Abyss catapulted up and saw X coming. He grabbed a streetlight and ripped it from the ground, then swung it like a bat. X's instinct kicked in and he flipped back and slid in the air right under the light. He grabbed it and swung it up, flipping Abyss in the air. He caught himself and hovered, but X swung the light. The steel shattered against Abyss's skin. Abyss slowly turned and gave a cold, hard glare to X.

"Enough!" Abyss shoved his hand into the building next to them. It exploded without warning. X was knocked a good ways away. Abyss flew over and destroyed the building next to him again. X was again tossed. Then, the ground exploded where he landed and lightning struck him down. Abyss landed next to him, pulled his foot back and kicked him under the stomach. X flew through the front door to a small building, then rammed his hand into the wall. The building crumbled atop X.

Abyss smiled. "Defeat is inevitable."

But then, with a force greater than he knew he had, X stood again, forcing all the rubble off of him. Several pieces flew out and hit Abyss, knocking him back. Abyss stood again and looked at the deity standing in the midst of the wreckage.

"It appears I've underestimated you." Abyss admitted. "Greatly. You've tapped right into the very core of your power and are extracting every last drop."

_How little you know._ X chuckled to himself. He jumped up to fly. But quicker than a blink, Abyss grabbed a concrete slab and threw it at X, knocking him back to the ground.

"Stay down!" Abyss roared. X ignored the command and forced himself back up as Abyss walked over to him. Abyss swung a punch. X blocked it and two others, then swung Abyss's arms up and planted a strong jab to his gut, then bashed his knee into the same place, then gave an uppercut to his jaw. Abyss flipped back from the punch, caught himself on his hands and flipped right back forward, swinging his hands down, bashing X in the back of the head. When X toppled over, Abyss swung his hands back up, knocking him into the sky, then grabbed a metal beam and waited. When he was in the right position, Abyss swung down, slamming X to the ground, then tossed him up and batted him away. X crashed into the neighboring building, then was whacked again in the stomach, pushing him further through the wall. Abyss watched the beaten X fall off the wall and followed him down as the smashed him again when he hit.

X was down.

Abyss tossed the beam away and smiled. "It ends now." He picked X up. "I've grown tired of your rebellion. I'll find a much weaker human in whom to plan my backup. I no longer need you." He shoved his hand into X's gut. "Extract Data!" he ordered. X felt both powers welling up inside him as virus and vaccine battled it out. Abyss felt the same resistance he'd felt with the other two.

With the same white flash as before, X and Abyss flew in different directions, each hitting the ground and rolling for a bit.

Abyss slammed his hand into the ground to stop himself and looked at X.

"Again!" he seethed. "What happened?!"

X felt weaker. He could barely get to his feet again. And he couldn't fly.

"Oh, no." X whispered. "It's gone!" And he phone was destroyed, so he couldn't call for an exit. X looked up and saw Abyss rise to the air. He dove to the side as Abyss came by, but he circled around and planted a powerful punch into his chest which sent him into a wall. X hit the ground and couldn't get back up.

Abyss walked to him. "Something wrong?" he cocked his head. "Strange. You were just so powerful earlier. Though I tried extracting my data from you, I didn't feel it return to me. I thought it was still in you...but appearances can be deceiving." He picked X up by his hair, forcing him to his knees and scanned him. "You've lost your powers, haven't you?"

X didn't answer. Abyss punched him.

"Haven't you?!" He punched again. Abyss picked him up and slammed him into the building wall, then threw him back a ways. He ran over and picked X up, punching him again, then threw him to the ground. He pulled him up to his knees again. "Yes. It's all gone." He punched him again, releasing his grip.

X spat out blood. "I lost my viral powers yesterday, you blind fool!"

"Oh?" Abyss cocked his head.

"That's right! I removed the virus from my brain all by myself!"

"And how might you have done that?"

"I studied myself and my X-Virus for a long time and finally created a suitable vaccine for it. I uploaded myself and the virus in me was deleted. That's how I was able to fight you like that! It wasn't your power! It was mine! My own! I used my own vaccine and was able to stand against your strongest power!"

"But not defeat it." Abyss smiled.

"I'm not entirely surprised." X spat. "The vaccine was supposed to be the equal and opposite equivalent of your power. That's why you couldn't delete Shadow or Pyro and why you couldn't extract your data from me, besides that it wasn't there!"

"But then it also cancelled out your powers, didn't it?" Abyss pointed out. "So now...you're nothing."

X looked up at him, defiantly. Abyss punched him again and picked him up.

"So now," he pulled back his hand. "It's time to die." He shoved his hand into X's body. "Delete!"

BLAM!!

"AGH!!" Abyss roared, his body arching from the bullet in his back. X flipped back, kicking Abyss in the face and sliding from his grip. He landed on his stomach. He was hurt, but not dead.

Abyss spun around to see who fired, but he was too late. His hands were knocked away from him and two more thrust into his chest.

"DYAH!!" He bellowed and looked at his attacker. He'd seen him before, the black trench coat tied by a belt at the waist, coving black clothing and boots over the thick body and the shades a little below the short, black hair. "You!!" he seethed.

"Yes." Riley nodded. "Me." He let his vaccine powers go, filling Abyss's body. Abyss felt his powers inside being over come by this new force. "No!" he hissed. He reeled back his hand and put all his power into it, then thrust it into Riley.

To Abyss's surprise and horror, the fingers of that hand suddenly shattered like little pieces of fine crystal, leaving no mark. Abyss roared more in shock than pain.

"I owe you this one!" Riley hissed. "Be gone!"

Abyss's body twitched and writhed. "AHHH!!!'

"And this time," X said, forcing himself to stand, "There will be no backup to recreate you."

"No . . ." Abyss grunted. "NNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

With a great white blast, Abyss's body shattered like crystal and blew X and Riley back a good ways.

X rolled to a stop. When he opened his eyes, he was filled with terror. The hole in the Matrix was only a few feet from him and coming closer. But X was hurt badly and the last blast hadn't exactly helped. He tried pushing himself up, but it was all he could do to get onto one knee. He gathered all his strength and pushed with that leg. He got about two steps in before falling again. He tried once more to get up, but this time it was hopeless. He was done. His energy was spent. He turned and watched the hole getting closer and closer to him until it was only a few inches away.

Suddenly, something picked him up.

"No you don't!" Riley said, slinging X over his shoulders. "You've come this far and you're not going to die now!" He began running, even though he'd just run that far to pick up X in the first place. He flipped open his phone.

"Hero, get us outta here!" Riley ordered.

"Three o'clock, captain." Hero responded calmly. Riley looked to his right and a car zoomed up and stopped in front of them. Shade was in the front seat.

"Get in!" She said. Riley opened the back door and put X in the back, then got in himself. They drove to the exit phone. Riley first put X to the phone and X weakly picked it up and vanished. Shade went next, then Riley exited the Matrix for the first time in months.

X's eyes weakly opened.

"You alright there, Tiger?" Hero asked him as the chair sat up.

"I think so." X whispered, out of breath. He looked at Riley. "What about him?"

"I feel the best I've been since the last time I saw Abyss." Riley said, standing. "Didn't expect to see me, did you?"

"Nope."

"When your powers were cancelled out, I knew you'd need help. But Shadow and Pyro were gone, so I volunteered."

"Against the doctor's orders?"

"I wasn't about to lose one more crew member to that program...or one more friend." He smiled. X returned it.

"But where are Shadow and Pyro?"

"Machine City, doing their business."

"What the?!" Hero suddenly asked.

"Now what?" Riley groaned, walking over to him.

"I don't know. The Matrix feed suddenly went all weird." He was right. It was flashing and flickering like it had before, when X first tried entering with the vaccine. But in a few seconds, it went back to normal. Hero searched. "Hey, the hole is gone...they did it! The Matrix is back to normal!"

X and Riley smiled again.

"Pyro and Shadow are on their way home." Hero explained. "They'll be here momentarily."

"Everything worked out." X sighed, sliding back down in the chair. "Abyss is finally gone and the Matrix is freed of the most powerful program in the world." He closed his eyes and slumped down. "Thank heavens."

Riley reclined the chair for X so it would be more comfortable.

X just lay there, eyes closed, feeling free for the first time since he couldn't remember. But he felt very hot and was covered in sweat. A minute later, he felt a cold, wet rag on his head and soft hands slid through his hair.

"You gonna be okay?" A female voice asked.

X opened his eyes and saw Shade kneeling beside him.

"Wha . . .? How did you . . .?"

"I was around, so I came aboard to help Riley."

"That's how I sent her in for you two." Hero explained.

"Oh . . ." X closed his eyes again as Shade stroked his hair a few more times. He smiled a little.

A few minutes later, the hatch opened again to let in Shadow and Pyro. X was feeling a bit more rested and was sitting up again. He looked at them and had to laugh, with everyone else.

"What happened to your hair?" Shade laughed. They looked like they'd stuck their heads out a car window for too long.

Pyro pointed to the sentinels. "Riding them. Six Flags ain't got nothing on a sentinel ride!" he began fixing his hair.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked her. They all shared their stories, getting everyone back on track.

"So . . ." Shadow said, "We did it."

Riley nodded. "We did it."

A sentinel came up to them and projected a screen.

"On behalf of the entire Machine City, we thank you."

The sentinels bowed their domes to them.

"You have liberated the Matrix from a deadly fiend once and for all. You've done a great deed for us. Now, is there anything we can do for you all?"

X shook his head. "I just wanna go home."

Riley chuckled. "We are home."

X remembered. "Oh, yeah. Then, I'm cool."

"I'm alright." Shadow said.

"Me too." Pyro agreed.

"I got what I wanted when I killed Abyss." Riley said. "I could ask for no more."

"I wouldn't mind better living quarters." Hero honestly said. They all laughed.

Then, the phone rang.

"If it's a telemarketer, I'm gonna kill." Hero chuckled, answering.

"Operator . . .uh . . .who is this?" he waited, then rolled his eyes and gave a Pyro a dirty look. "He's right here." He held out the headset. "Veronica."

Pyro put the headset on. "Yello . . .what? . . .whoa, hey, slow down! What happened?" He was silent for a moment. "Where are you now?" Another silence. "Stay there. I'll come as soon as I can."

"What is it now?" Riley asked, arm crossed.

Pyro looked at the machines. "Remember when you asked if you could do anything for us? I actually do have one request . . ."

Pyro ran up the stairs of the apartment building. Sixth floor. Apartment Fourteen A. He opened the door without knocking. Scott was in the living room without his shirt and spun around when the door opened.

"What the?!" He hissed at Pyro. A bedroom door opened and Veronica looked out, frightened. Scott looked back at her. "Did you call him?!"

Veronica nodded, jittery.

Scott's eyes burned. "You little-"

"Watch your mouth." Pyro said.

"Shut up!!" Scott roared. He reached down and grabbed his gun from his belt on the counter.

"NO!!" Veronica screamed. But Pyro bent back and dodged the bullets, then cartwheeled away and began flipping and flailing towards Scott until he was close enough to spin-kick the gun from his hand, then kick Scott in the chest. He gave Scott a few more punches, then performed a Tornado Kick, sending Scott to the wall. He fell to the ground, unmoving.

Pyro looked at Veronica. "You okay?"

"I-Is he dead?"

Pyro looked over at his body. "If he gets back up, he will be." He turned to Veronica again. "How did he find you?"

She shrugged, still shaking. "He . . .he surprised me in the park. I said I didn't want to go back, but he didn't listen. He brought me back anyway. I tried fighting him like you said, but . . .he was too strong."

Pyro walked closer to her and saw the numerous bruises on her body. "Geez." He whispered.

"Scott was tired of my stalling, so he told me to go into the bedroom and 'prepare'."

"And you called me instead."

"Yes." She nodded. "I had to. I didn't want to . . .not with him!" She shook her head. "But I can't stop him . . .I can't even run from him!"

"There are many things you can't do by yourself. Just tonight, I couldn't do something myself. Sometimes someone else has to do something for you."

"I feel so weak." Veronica looked down, crossing her arms over herself.

Pyro walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "You're not. You had the guts to leave Scott, knowing the consequences, should he find you again. Too few people are able to run."

She smiled a little as she looked up at him. "I think it was easier for me."

"Why?"

"Because I had someone to run to."

Pyro smiled. Veronica moved forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head against his chest. Pyro returned the embrace.

"But I don't even know you." Veronica said. "You fight on trucks, you chase psychopaths, you dodge bullets . . .I don't even know your name!"

He gave her a look. "I told you. My name is Pyro."

Veronica shook her head. "That's not a name. That's an alias . . .isn't it?"

Pyro looked down at her, hesitant, but he nodded in the end.

"So what's your real name?"

"I . . .I don't think so."

"Not privileged to give out that kind of information?" She shook her head. "Don't you think I know too much already? What's name going to hurt?"

Pyro admitted that, but he still wasn't sure.

"So what is it?" She asked again.

He thought back to a name he hadn't used in over two years.

"It's, uh . . .its' . . ." He remember. "Lance . . .my name's Lance."

She smiled again. "Lance. It's a good name. But there's still so much about you I want to know."

"There's so much to tell . . .I don't know if I have the time." He looked at Scott's body. "So I have an idea." He sat her down on the couch and sat next to her. "Remember how I said it was impossible for you to stay with me?"

Veronica nodded.

"Well, it's possible now." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two large pills, one red and one blue. "Take the blue pill and you'll fall asleep and wake up tomorrow felling that this was all a big dream. You won't remember me or anything you've seen or heard. Take the red pill . . .and I'll show you my world. But once you enter it, there's no going back. Choose."

Veronica looked him funny. "What do you mean, 'your world'?"

"The real world. The world you know is a dream, Veronica. None of is real. You can leave it now, leave it all behind and see what earth really is."

"Not real?" She asked.

"It's alright for me to tell you now, no matter what pill you choose. But you have to make that particular choice now. Do you wish to stay in this world, which is actually easier to endure, or know the truth about everything?"

Veronica looked at the pills. "If I take the blue one . . .I won't ever see you again, will I?"

Pyro shook his head. "You won't even know that I exist."

Veronica looked at Scott. "A life with him is one thing." She looked at Pyro. "But a life without you?" She picked up the red pill. "That is unbearable." She took the pill. Pyro smiled.

Veronica suddenly felt a shortage of breath. She felt dizzy. "I . . ." She wheezed.

"Don't worry." Pyro encouraged. "This is usual."

Veronica gripped his arm until she hit the ground, unconscious. Pyro opened his phone.

"She took it."

"We're ready for her." Hero said." Use the phone one floor up, apartment 12B to leave. Hurry. She'll be expecting you."

Pyro hurried out the door, closing it behind him.

Veronica went through the same situation every freed human went through, the awakening, the drilling, the excruciating pain, and the sudden drainage into someplace she didn't know.

Veronica spilled out onto the floor of the _Genesis_.

"I remember that." Shadow chuckled.

She was unclothed, so Pyro had a sheet ready and covered her with it, wrapping his arms around her frightened and shivering body.

"It's alright." He whispered into her ear. "It's alright. You're free now...you're free."

She turned her head and looked up at him. "L . . .Lance . . ." She whispered. Pyro nodded. She smiled and closed her eyes again.

"Lance?" Riley asked.

Pyro shrugged. "My real name."

They all looked at each other, then Shadow stuck out his hand.

"Cory." Pyro looked at him, then shook his hand.

X stuck his hand out. "Taylor."

Hero joined in. "Jack."

Shade stepped up. "Vickie."

"Nathaniel." Riley spoke up. Everyone looked at him.

"Wait a minute!" Hero said. "You mean Riley isn't your real name?!"

"Hey," Shadow said, "You've known him longer than us and you didn't know?"

"No!" 

Riley smiled. "Didn't suspect anything, did you?" He chuckled.

Shade looked at Veronica. "So what are we gonna call her?"

Pyro thought. "I think 'Liberty' suits her well."

Riley nodded and headed for the cockpit. "Let's take her back home."

Veronica/Liberty was inspected and clothed on the way home. Then, she began to re-learn how to walk.

In Zion, the crew received a royal welcome. Everyone had heard what they'd done and they were declared heroes. Riley was asked to come to the commander's office. Hero followed. The others were lead to the homes that were prepared for them. After unpacking, the gang went their separate ways. Riley had given them a place to meet him in an hour and a half where they would all eat together.

". . .then we exited the Matrix and waited for Pyro and Shadow to return." Riley wrapped up his lengthy report to not only the Commander but the counsel as well. They were just as curious.

"Amazing." A counselor said. "Simply amazing." The others agreed.

"I say the same." The Commander said with a smile. "Incredible, all of it. That's quite a crew you have going there."

"Thank you, sir. I was careful in my picking."

"Very good. I'll sort out a few things with the counsel and you and your crew will be rewarded. Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

Riley turned and walked out of the room. Outside, Hero was waiting for him, along with two others.

"Captain Morpheus." Riley said. "A pleasant surprise."

"Captain Riley." Morpheus shook his hand. "This is the operator of the _Bata Neb_, Link."

"Good to meet you, sir." Link shook his hand.

"Likewise." Riley said.

Morpheus spoke. "Hero here told us your story. It's very fascinating."

"Why thank you. You also know how it feels to have a story surrounding you."

He chuckled. "Yes, I do."

"You, know," Riley said, "I never did hear the details of that story."

"Nor I." Hero added.

"Tell you what," Riley offered, "Why don't you two join us all for dinner and tell us the full story of Neo."

Morpheus nodded. "I would be honored."

"Yeah, me too." Link said, "Especially if y'all paid."

They all laughed.

"My crew will meet us." Riley said as they began walking.

"And what a crew it is, from what I hear." Morpheus said.

Riley nodded. "I have no regrets in my choosing. They never cease to amaze me."

Veronica was sticking close to Pyro. He was telling her everything he knew.

"So I can get uploaded and kick butt in the Matrix too?"

"Sure, once you take the training courses and join a ship."

"I think I already know the one I want to join."

Pyro smiled. "So what do you think of the real world?"

She looked around her. "It's different . . .very different. But I think one day we can fix it."

"I agree. One day things will be back to normal. One day we'll see the sky again."

Veronica nodded. "So does it hurt entering the Matrix?"

"Only at first and not too much. You get used to it."

"Can I get an alias too?"

"It's required. We offered one: Liberty."

Veronica looked around, the nodded. "I like it. It suits the situation."

"That's why I did it." She stopped.

"Pyro . . .Lance . . .whatever. Look, you've done a lot for me. You're . . .you're the only one that's really been there for me in a long time and, well . . .I . . .just . . .thank you."

Pyro nodded. "Anytime. And if you ever need help around here, just call me."

Veronica smiled, then reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks again."

Pyro smiled, but when she turned away, he shot his fist in the air in triumph.

Shadow asked Shade a question. "How come you were able to board our ship?"

"We just happened to be in Zion, refueling when the _Genesis_ suddenly flies in and opens the hatch without landing. If that's not weird enough, a buncha sentinels shoot out and carry two humans up through the tunnel. Hey, how was that?"

"Fun! They should charge admission for that!"

"You guys saved the Matrix?"

"Kinda. We used X's vaccine to sorta 'cure' the Matrix. Then the Machines rewrote it to the way it always was."

"Cool."

They walked along silently for a little while.

"So . . ." Shade said, "Cory."

"So . . ." Shadow countered. "Vickie."

"Your hair isn't really black!" Shade noticed, holding a few of his brown locks in her fingers.

"Yeah? Well you're not quite as tall in the real world either."

"And you're not quite as built."

"Well...your butt looks better in the Matrix."

Shade gave him a look. "I didn't change that."

Shadow froze. "Oh?" He looked behind her and stared for a while. "Huh. I guess I'm just seeing things."

Shade shook her head. "You said that just to get a peep, didn't you?"

"Yeah." He shrugged.

"Smooth."

"Thanks."

"Looks like we both had a few enhancements on ourselves when entering the Matrix."

"Yeah." He stopped her and took her hands. "But you're still as pretty in the real worlds as you are in the Matrix."

Shade smiled. "And you're still as sad and pathetic as you are in the Matrix."

"Hey!"

"But it's that young attitude that attracts me." She kissed him. "As well as the compliments on my posterior."

They laughed and kissed again.

Poor X was alone. But he didn't really mind. After his experiences with Siren, X was convinced that he didn't want a girlfriend right now.

X went back to the orphanage to see the younger kids again. They were thrilled to see him again. He met up with old friends, who all wanted to know about his adventures on the ship.

He was walking around the training areas when three girls walked out of the computer room, shaking their heads.

"She's lost it." One said. Then she looked up. "Oh! Hi, X!"

"Hiya." He said.

One of the girls pointed into the computer room. "Maybe you can save her."

"Who?"

"That girl in there has been at that computer forever, fiddling with that training program forever. She can't beat it, but she just won't quit!"

"And what makes you think I can stop her?" X had to ask.

"She looks up to you."

X gave them a look. "To me?"

"Yeah, she wants to be as good a hacker as you were. As her role model, maybe you can help her out." The girls walked off.

"Since when does anyone look up to me?" X asked himself. He walked inside and saw a trim, pretty, short-haired blonde at a far computer. She looked about his age and she was furiously tapping away at the computer. X walked in and came up behind her, watching her work. He remembered this program. Pretty high stuff. Even he'd had a little trouble with it . . .a little.

No matter how the girl tried it, she couldn't seem to hack into the program.

"C'mon!" She hissed. "C'mon!" She was close, but then another wall was put up to stop her and the time ran out.

"MISSION FAILED." The computer told her.

The girl groaned. "I had it! I had it!"

"You're too hasty."

The girl spun around in the chair and looked up at him. Her eyes widened.

"You're X!"

He nodded. "I am."

"Wow! I . . .It's great to meet you!"

"Thanks. I, uh, I hear you're a fan."

"Of course! You're only the greatest hacker to come from this place!"

X shrugged and blushed a little. "Well . . ."

"So . . .what was it you said about this?" She pointed to the computer.

"Oh, yeah. You're too hasty. You had the right code combination and all, but you were so frantic on the keyboard that you lost it. Slow down a little. Try again."

She turned and started it up again.

"This is pretty high-rate stuff." X said. "You sure you're up to it?"

"I always go at least one level ahead of what they say I should do."

"Oh?" X was intrigued.

"Yeah, it's just something I do. I want to be above average."

"Understandable." He sat down next to her.

The girl began working the program and, once more, began to lose control.

"Slow down." X said, watching. "Easy does it. Be calm."

She took a deep breath and continued, a bit less frantic. A short while later, she was in.

"HACK SUCCESSFUL." The computer reported.

"I did it!" She rejoiced.

"There, you see?" X said. "Slow and steady wins the race."

She nodded. "Thanks a lot."

"But, like I said, this is some pretty advanced material. You did well."

"Thank you. Everyone else says I'm crazy, jumping ahead of the regular material."

"Nothing wrong with stretching your limits." X said. "It may come in handy someday."

The girl nodded. X got curious.

"What's your name?" He asked.

She seemed a little stunned. "Spyder . . .with a Y."

"I'm X." he formally introduced himself and shook her hand.

"Nice to finally meet you." She looked back at the computer. "Thanks again for the help. I've only got five months to do the best I can, then I'll be old enough to board a ship."

"A lot can happen in five months." X said. "Trust me."

"Well, yeah," She said. "In less than that, you made that." She pointed to the virus flash drive, but found another around his neck. "What's that one?"

"The vaccine." He said.

"Vaccine?"

"It's a long story." He shook his head.

"I don't have anything to do." She offered.

X thought for a minute. "Tell you what, Spyder. Why don't you come to dinner with me and I'll tell it to you."

Spyder's eyebrows perked. "Are you asking me out?"

X thought. "Yeah . . .yeah, I am."

"Well . . .yes! Of course!"

"Alright." He nodded and gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Let's." They walked out together.

The table was large and filled with happy people. Stories were shared, jokes were told, and advice was given. Everyone learned something from one another that evening. A day or two and they'd all go off again on their own duties. Who knew what would happen? That wasn't for them to know. All they were supposed to know was the here and the now.

Hours later, Link tapped a knife against a glass.

"Hey." He said. "It's not that often that a bunch of us get together like this, so I want to take this opportunity to propose a toast." Everyone agreed. "It's a toast for a number of things, really. A toast to the future, to the sky, to the machines-the good ones, to the humans, to the truce . . .and to the world."

Everyone raised their glasses.

"To the world!"

And they drank.

THE END

Author's Note: And that's the story. Sorry for the delay. Thanks to everyone who read. And thanks to the real Shadow and Pyro for helping and encouraging me with this story. Please review one last time. If you liked this story, check out some of my other stuff! Thanks again and adios!


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